NORWALK, Conn. — Honoring excellence in the local business community, the 2025 Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce Small Business Awards will take place Wednesday, June 4, from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Norwalk Inn & Conference Center, 99 East Avenue.
Tickets for the event, which include breakfast, are $60 for chamber members, $80 for nonmembers, or $480 for a reserved table of eight.
Eight chamber members are scheduled to receive awards in eight categories, including Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum (Arts and Culture), Accurate Auto Repair (Service), O’Neill’s Irish Pub & Restaurant (Legacy Award, 25 Years), Clean Bees: Home & Business Cleaning (Building Services), ElderHouse Adult Day Services (Nonprofit of the Year), SoNo Seaport Seafood (Restaurant), Wave Hill Breads Topi Artisan Bakery (2025 Entrepreneur of the Year) and Devine Brothers (Professional Services).
The event—which is expected to draw 120 attendees—will also feature guest speaker Maarten Eenkema van Dijk, director of operations for Van Dyk Recycling Solutions.
According to the chamber’s website, the eight local businesses are being honored for their “overall success, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to the community. “
When deciding who to recognize, “We like to look at our membership as a whole,” said chamber President and CEO Shannon O’Toole-Giandurco.
O’Neill’s, for example, is being honored for its milestone anniversary. “They just celebrated 25 years, and they’re such a cornerstone of the community, so we were happy to honor them,” said O’Toole-Giandurco.
Ollie O’Neill, owner of O’Neill’s, said he is “honored” to receive a small business award from the chamber, which “would not be possible without our amazing staff, four of [whom] are original—all the way back to 1999—and many who have been with us for multiple years.”
As O’Neill’s enters its next quarter century, “This recognition means more than ever. O’Neill’s has always been more than a restaurant—it has been a gathering place, a support system, and a home away from home for so many. We are proud of the role we’ve played in helping to shape the cultural and community spirit of Norwalk,” O’Neill added.
After being closed for two years for major infrastructure upgrades and restoration work, the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is slated to reopen on June 4—the day of the Small Business Awards.
“As they embark on their reopening, we thought it was a great time to honor them,” said O’Toole-Giandurco.
Susan Gilgore, executive director of Lockwood-Mathews, said the museum “is truly honored to be a first-time recipient” of a chamber small business award.
“This award celebrates the work we do for our communities, highlights the value and strength of arts and culture, and will have a very positive impact on the success of our reopening after a two-year closure,” Gilgore added.
Dileep Chandran, owner of Clean Bees, said he feels “honored and thankful” to be recognized with a small business award.
“We are bringing some of our most valuable associates for the event to make sure they get to take part in it and also to acknowledge my gratitude to them,” added Chandran, who called chamber members and staff “a good group of people to be with.”
During the June 4 event, each business will be recognized with some warm words and an award.
“Our committee will speak about each company, with a little bit about their history, so everyone gets to learn about them,” said O’Toole-Giandurco.
Maarten Eenkema van Dijk, the event’s guest speaker, is from Norwalk-based Van Dyk Recycling, which O’Toole-Giandurco noted is “the leading provider of recycling infrastructure in North America.”
She added, “We did a networking event there a few years ago and people really were very interested in both the family business aspect of it … and what the business has become.”
Though gatherings like the Small Business Awards are typically held in the evening, O’Toole-Giandurco said the chamber tries “to mix up our events. We find that people like to stop by before they get to the office. That way, they can have a nice breakfast, honor [their colleagues in the business community] and be on their way.”
The Small Business Awards are being sponsored by KeyBank and Ed’s Garage Doors.
“We really thank KeyBank—they’ve been a sponsor of this for several years in a row—as well as Ed’s Garage Doors,” said O’Toole-Giandurco.
Anyone interested in attending the Small Business Awards is encouraged to register as soon as possible by visiting here.
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