The seventh-annual Best of Central Valley Business Awards were given out Tuesday in Fresno. Photo by Gabriel Dillard

A smaller, more subdued Best of Central Valley Business Awards reception was held Tuesday at the Elbow Room in Fresno to honor the 35 companies that emerged as winners of the readers-vote contest.

A limited number of guests were invited to the seventh annual event recognizing the leading businesses in the Central Valley. From a humble start of 22,000 votes in the first year of competition, more than 130,000 votes were cast this year in 35 different categories on thebusinessjournal.com from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31.

In a departure from year’s past, only the winners were invited to the event on the Elbow Room patio. Attendees were masked as they arrived and were required to remain seated during the presentation while enjoying drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

Be sure to thumb through this entire issue to learn who the finalists were and read about the winners. To offer feedback on the contest or suggestions for new categories, contact ashley@thebusinessjournal.com.

The 2020 Best of Central Valley Business Reader’s Choice Award winners:

 

Best Company to Work For

Winner: London Properties

1^st Finalist: Community Medical Centers

2^nd Finalist: Central Valley Community Bank

 

Best Politician on Business Issues

Winner: Rep. Devin Nunes

1^st Finalist: Assemblymember Jim Patterson

2^nd Finalist: Rep. Jim Costa

 

Best Business Supporting Local Charities

Winner: Granville Homes

1^st Finalist: London Properties

2^nd Finalist: De Young Properties

 

Best Non-Profit

Winner: Marjaree Mason Center

1^st Finalist: Valley Animal Center

2^nd Finalist: Central California Food Bank

 

Best Commercial Real Estate Company

Winner: Colliers International

1^st Finalist: Fortune Associates

2^nd Finalist: Stumpf and Co.

 

Best Residential Real Estate Company

Winner: London Properties

1^st Finalist: Realty Concepts

2^nd Finalist: Guarantee Real Estate

 

Best Local Lunch Spot

Winner: Pismo’s Coastal Grill

1^st Finalist: Dog House Grill

2^nd Finalist: Sam’s Italian Deli

 

Best Family Owned Business

Winner: Wawona Frozen Foods – The Smittcamp Family

1^st Finalist: London Properties – The Conner Family

2^nd Finalist: Valley Wide Beverage – The Amendola Family

 

Best Title Company

Winner: Chicago Title Co.

1^st Finalist: First American Title

2^nd Finalist: Old Republic Title Co.

 

Best Local Annual Event to Attend

Winner: The Big Fresno Fair

1^st Finalist: Clovis Rodeo

2^nd Finalist: Big Hat Days

 

Best Property/Casualty Insurance Company

Winner: DiBuduo & DeFendis Inurance Brokers, LLC

1^st Finalist: Der Manouel Insurance Group

2^nd Finalist: Alliant Insurance Services, Inc.

 

Best Credit Union

Winner: Educational Employees Credit Union

1^st Finalist Golden 1 Credit Union

2^nd Finalist: Noble Credit Union

 

Best Auto Dealership

Winner: Selma Auto Mall

1^st Finalist: Hedrick’s Chevrolet

2^nd Finalist: Fresno Lexus

 

Best Accounting Firm

Winner Garabedian Group

1^st Finalist: Moss Adams LLP

2^nd Finalist Janzen, Tamberi & Wong

 

Best Law Firm

Winner: McCormick Barstow LLP

1^st Finalist: Dowling Aaron, Inc.

2^nd Finalist: Baker, Manock & Jensen

 

Best Marketing Agency

Winner: JP Marketing

1^st Finalist: Jeffrey Scott Agency

2^nd Finalist: AdVine Agency

 

Best Bar to Entertain Clients

Winner: Elbow Room

1^st Finalist: Pismo’s Coastal Grill

2^nd Finalist: FIVE Restaurant

 

Best Technology Company

Winner: PC Solutions

1^st Finalist: BCT Consulting

2^nd Finalist: Agrian, Inc.

 

Best Shopping Center

Winner: River Park Shopping Center

1^st Finalist: Fig Garden Village

2^nd Finalist: Fashion Fair

 

Best Chamber of Commerce

Winner: Fresno Chamber of Commerce

1^st Finalist: Clovis Chamber of Commerce

2^nd Finalist: Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

 

Best Woman Owned Business

Winner: Casa de Tamales

1^st Finalist: LaTapatia Tortilleria, Inc.

2^nd Finalist: National Raisin Co.

 

Best Office Equipment Company

Winner: California Business Machines

1^st Finalist: Zoom Imaging

2^nd Finalist: Caltronics Business System

 

Best Catering Company

Winner: Pardini’s Catering

1^st Finalist: The Painted Table

2^nd Finalist: Meat Market

 

Best Commercial Printing Company

Winner: Dumont

1^st Finalist: Fast Signs

2^nd Finalist: ValPrint

 

Best Security Company

Winner: Matson Alarm

1^st Finalist: Turner Security Systems, Inc.

2^nd Finalist: AmeriGuard Security Service

 

Best Golf Course to take a Client

Winner: Copper River Country Club

1^st Finalist: Fort Washington Country Club

2^nd Finalist: San Joaquin Country Club

 

Best Interior Design Firm

Winner: Darden Architects

1^st Finalist: Facility Designs

2^nd Finalist: CORE Business Interiors

 

Best Morning Drive Radio Show

Winner: KMJ 580

1^st Finalist: Kiss Country 93.7

2^nd Finalist: K-Love 91.1

 

Best Real Estate Property Management Company

Winner: Manco Abbott

1^st: Granville Homes

2^nd: Dana Butcher & Associates

 

Best Architectural Firm

Winner: Darden Architects

1^st Finalist: TETER

2^nd Finalist: The Taylor Group

 

Best Engineering Firm

Winner: Blair, Church & Flynn

1^st Finalist: Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group

2^nd Finalist: TETER

 

Best Home Builder

Winner: Granville Homes

1^st Finalist: Wathen Castanos

2^nd Finalist: De Young Properties

 

Best Business Bank

Winner: Central Valley Community Bank

1^st Finalist: Fresno First Bank

2^nd Finalist: Wells Fargo

 

Best Employment Service

Winner: PrideStaff

1^st Finalist: Denham Resources

2^nd Finalist: Hire Up Staffing Services