Olympic Nursery in Woodinville was nominated for as rural business of the year in the first annual King County Executive’s Small Business Awards.
. Born in Everett, he bought Olympic Nursery in 1989, a name he now says in hindsight he wished he changed since there are so many businesses with “Olympic” in their names. Olympic Nursery specializes in installing flowering and ornamental trees, as well as trees and shrubs that provide privacy. Over the years, Quigley—a certified arborist—has added landscape design to his services.
Quigley is more than owner of a popular Woodinville business; he is a long-time advocate of the local agriculture community. Quigley was a member of the King Country Agriculture Commission for eight years. He’s a former board member of the . He’s been instrumental in the success of the .
In 2009, on Earth Day, he was honored by the Greater Grace Wine Appreciation Society for his agricultural preservation efforts.
In addition, Quigley co-founded the Sammamish Valley Alliance, which promotes agriculture. He was the organization’s first chairman.
King County Executive Dow Constantine –in partnership with award sponsors Microsoft Corporation, KeyBank, enterpriseSeattle, the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County and the Small Business Partners for Prosperity –named 21 finalists in seven categories for the first annual King County Executive’s Small Business Awards.
“My priority is build prosperity and get people back to work, and small businesses will lead the way as they create the majority of new jobs in our economy,” said Executive Constantine.
In response to his new program, Constantine received more than 125 nominations from 30 award partners – chambers of commerce, cities and business organizations across the county.
More than 250 representatives from throughout the county are expected to be in attendance when the winners are announced at the awards program on Wednesday morning, Oct 12, from 7:15 – 9 a.m. at the Meydenabauer Center in Bellevue.
Four of the 21 finalists are Certified Small Contractors and Suppliers under King County’s Contracting Opportunities Program, which works to provide greater contracting opportunities for small businesses.
The awards program recognizes small businesses throughout King County that best demonstrate innovation and excellence. The nominees are:
Small Business of the Year Finalists
- Lightel Technologies, Inc. (Renton)
- Molly Moon Handmade Ice Cream (Seattle)
- Trophy Cupcakes and Party (Seattle)
Minority Small Business of the Year Finalists
- Chameleon Technologies, Inc. (Kirkland)
- General Microsystems, Inc. (Bellevue)
- Triple XXX Rootbeer (Issaquah)
Woman Small Business of the Year Finalists
- JTS Manage Services (Seattle)
- Ombrella Inc. (Kirkland)
- PRR Inc. (Seattle)
Exporting Small Business of the Year Finalists
- Pascal International (Bellevue)
- Paula's Choice, Inc. (Renton)
- TransNET Inc. (Issaquah)
Green/Sustainable Small Business of the Year Finalists
- Eco Cartridge Store (Kirkland)
- General Biodiesel (Seattle)
- WorldCNG (Kent)
Workforce Development Small Business of the Year Finalists
- Lin & Associates, Inc. (Seattle)
- Schemata Workshop, Inc. (Seattle)
- Seidelhuber Iron and Bronze Works (Seattle)
Rural Small Business of the Year Finalists
- Jubilee Biodynamic Farm Inc. (Carnation)
- Olympic Nursery (Woodinville)
- Rockridge Orchards & Cidery (Enumclaw)
Editor's Note: Information for this story came from King County, Brian Soergel also contributed.
