Gwinnett County Small Businessperson of the Year Suwanee Dental Care: Comprehensive Family Dentistry Dr. Bill Williams Suwanee Georgia

Suwanee Dental Care Dr Bill Williams gwinnett buford duluth sugar loaf

Dentist gets Small Business Person of the Year award
06/21/2005

By Douglas Sams
Staff Writer
doug.sams@gwinnettdailypost.com                        Award Criteria

DULUTH — Dr. Bill Williams doesn’t run a Fortune 500 firm, but he takes on supersized challenges. His Suwanee dental practice handles almost every kind of procedure in the book, from root canals to reconstruction. He aims for bright, toothy smiles on every hockey player that sits in his chair. And he takes an annual dental mission to Kenya, where he and his brother bring medical services to parts of the African country without water or electricity.
So impressed were his Gwinnett business peers that they gave him the top honor for an entrepreneur. In front of a packed room of business and political leaders Monday, Williams accepted the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Small Business Person of the Year award.
“I’m truly humbled,” said Williams, owner of Suwanee Dental Care and dentist for the Gwinnett Gladiators Hockey team. Williams launched Suwanee Dental in 1997, not long after selling his 23-year practice in Stone Mountain. He said he did not expect the new Suwanee business to grow as quickly as it has, but it is adding at least 100 patients every month.

Then again, Williams said he isn’t that surprised. “Staying small isn’t really part of my genetic makeup,” he said. “We started in a 1,000-square-foot building, then moved to 4,000, and now we’re looking to expand again.”

It was the 23rd time the Gwinnett Chamber awarded the Small Business Person of the Year. Among the criteria are staying power, sales growth and contributions to the community. Williams also works at the Hebron Dental Clinic for the poor and contributes to the Brighter Smiles for Brighter Futures Campaign, which fights breast cancer.

With the award, Williams qualifies to compete for Georgia’s small business person of the year in the fall. If successful, he has a chance to capture the national honor. Williams was among five Gwinnett finalists for the Small Business Person of the Year: Bruce and Dee Arnett, Carnett’s Car Wash Grace Lopez-Williams, Grace Lopez-Williams accounting and management consulting firm. Louis Young, Columbia Engineering Roger Green, Green Financial Resources

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June 2005: Features from the Gwinnett Business Journal

Small business takes center stage in June
Dr. Bill Williams is one of five finalists for Small Businessperson of the year in Gwinnett County

The premier local event marking the successes and leadership abilities of Gwinnett’s small businesses is schedule for June 20.

On that day, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce will recognize the local business leader who best exemplifies the standards of excellence in the small business community.

In support of National Small Business Week, the Gwinnett Chamber will award the “2005 Gwinnett Small Business Person of the Year” during the general membership meeting. The luncheon event will occur from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Atlanta Marriott-Gwinnett Place.

Award finalists include Bruce and Dee Arnett with Carnett’s Car Washes, Roger Green with Green Financial Resources LLC, Dr. Bill Williams with Suwanee Dental Care, Grace Williams with Grace Williams CPA PC and Louis Young with Columbia Engineering & Services Inc.

The “Small Business Person of the Year” award recognizes the legacy of ingenuity and enterprise in Gwinnett by celebrating the commitment and diligence of small business owners and the risks they must take in order to succeed.

“Small businesses are the economic backbone of Gwinnett, allowing our county’s economy to continue to grow and prosper,” said Gwinnett Chamber President Jim Maran. “It is their innovations, hard work and drive that keeps the entrepreneurial spirit alive in Gwinnett and helping people to realize the ‘American dream.’”

Small businesses hire a larger portion of employees who are younger workers, older workers and part-time workers while providing approximately 75 percent of net new jobs added to the economy. In Gwinnett, small businesses account for 80 percent of the total business with 22,000 registered small businesses.

The luncheon’s keynote speaker will be David Snell, vice president and corporate secretary of E.R. Snell Contractor Inc. He will address more than 200 Gwinnett Chamber members and guests on how E.R. Snell Contractor, a family-owned, local business and one of the largest prime contractors in Georgia, has assured the continuity of success for over 82 years and through more than five generations of family members.

Dr. Bill Williams – Suwanee Dental Care
Dr. Bill Williams of Suwanee Dental Care does what has been called decathlon dentistry, which includes cosmetics, sedation, laser, TMJ, reconstruction, root canal and gum treatments, oral surgery and dental implants, orthodontics, restorative, denture and pediatric dentistry.

When he is not at the dental office, he is working on one of several Web sites that he built and maintains like suwaneedental.com, volunteering as the team dentist for the Gwinnett Gladiators Hockey Team, attending Elijah House Prayer Minister classes at Sugar Hill United Methodist Church, Bible Study Fellowship classes or Academy of General Dentistry Mastership classes.

Williams believes that charity begins at home and works at the Hebron Dental Clinic for indigent patients and works with the Brighter Smiles for Brighter Futures Campaign that fights breast cancer with Gwinnett Medical. He is also the dentist for the Extreme Makeover Team: Restored Images, dedicated to giving a graduate of the Lucy Hall Freedom House for Women a new lease on life. Williams’ most interesting activity is his annual dental mission to the Masai Mara area of Kenya. This year he leads a team of 27 from May 27 to June 8 to Kenya for medical, dental, construction, and evangelism and children’s ministry.

Suwanee Dental Care was started in 1997 after Williams sold his practice of 23 years in Stone Mountain. They grew from three employees in 1,200 square-feet to 18 employees in 4,000 square-feet during eight years. The practice has attracted more than 100 new patients per month, every month, for the majority of its existence. They were named the “Best of Gwinnett” dental practice in both 2003 and 2004 by Gwinnett Magazine readers.

Bruce and Dee Arnett – Carnett’s
They say that knowledge gives you the confidence and enthusiasm to do whatever you want to do and do it well. That knowledge has resulted in an enterprise that Bruce and Dee Arnett could only dream of in 1987 when they founded Carnett’s Car Washes in Atlanta.

Carnett’s Car Washes is now an enterprise of seven corporate stores and many car wash franchise outlets across metro Atlanta and is approved to operate in all 50 states. The company is the largest car wash chain in Georgia and the 20th largest in the U.S. ranked by number of washes.

Bruce Arnett Sr. had been involved in the car wash business 10 years prior to establishing Carnett’s, first as an investor, and then as an active partner. He came to the industry with an extensive background in electronics, mechanics and computers.

Dee Arnett, a graduate of Rutgers University, holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and economics. Dee organized and now oversees the accounting department of Carnett’s while also filling the responsibilities of the marketing and promotions division vice president.

Bruce Arnett Jr. joined the family venture right out of college and helped with the construction of the first store. Brett Arnett came to work for Carnett’s in 1988 and is now an installation engineer in ACES, the equipment division of Carnett’s. Brandon Arnett joined Carnett’s in 1999 after eight years aboard an atomic submarine, where he managed and maintained electrical systems.

Grace Lopez-Williams - Grace Williams CPA PC
Grace Lopez-Williams was born in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, but her parents are from Puerto Rico and raised her as a Puerto Rican, a fact that this dynamic entrepreneur is quick to ascertain whenever she’s asked about her birthplace.

For the most part, Lopez-Williams owes her strong and assertive attitude to her grandmother, who raised her to always strive for success and never quit. These qualities are the foundation of her success as owner of one of the fastest growing Hispanic CPA firms in Atlanta, Grace Williams CPA PC, a Norcross-based accounting and management consulting firm.

Lopez-Williams has achieved great professional success as a Latino businesswoman in Atlanta since moving here in 1994. She has been in the local spotlight since 1999, when she was the first Latino member appointed by former Gov. Roy Barnes to the Workforce Investment Board. Also in 1999, the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce bestowed upon her the award of “Business Woman of the Year.” She was chosen one of “ Atlanta’s 100 Most Influential Women in Business” by the Women Looking Ahead organization. She is also the president and founder of the board of directors of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs. In 2000, Hispanic Business Magazine selected Lopez-Williams among the “100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States,” a selection that put her in the national spotlight.

In 2004, Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed Lopez-Williams to the Georgia State Board of Accountancy where she works with the state board of accountancy to regulate the practice of public accounting, set standards for accounting licensure and investigate and discipline unauthorized, negligent or incompetent practices.

Louis Young – Columbia Engineering
Columbia Engineering is no stranger to success. Growing the business from only six employees at its creation to 33 employees today, Columbia Engineering is a site design firm located in Norcross specializing in site/civil engineering for land development and road design. Columbia is a regional firm with projects completed and active throughout the Southeast.

The company is owned by Don Shillington and Louis Young.

Shillington is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and has been a consulting engineer his entire career. He has extensive experience in the retail commercial sector and is credited with the design of over 300 shopping centers/retail projects.

Young is a graduate of Auburn University. His experience in the public sector designing roads, schools and utility systems, complements his private sector experience in planning and site engineering for shopping centers, office parks, industrial parks and multi-family residential developments.

The staff of the company is diversified and capable of providing the full spectrum of site engineering services including site feasibility studies, engineering design, construction document preparation, construction review and contract administration. Columbia’s geographic scope of operations extends to 37 states and the District of Columbia.

Through practical and innovative design, Columbia Engineering saves construction dollars. Their attention to detail and sensitivity to their client’s needs has earned them an excellent reputation and many repeat customers and referrals.

Roger Green – Green Financial Services LLC
A dedicated financial professional since 1987, Roger Green began his career in Houston. Shortly after affiliating with MONY Securities in 1991, he moved to Atlanta. In 2000, Green joined IFG Network Securities Inc., which allowed him greater freedom to design custom plans for his clients using the full range of investment tools. In 2003, he changed his business to an LLC organization and renamed it Green Financial Resources LLC. Although the location and the name have changed over time, the business set-up, focus and practices have remained the same and Green currently manages more than $180 million dollars in assets for more than 1,000 customers.

Since 1998, he has hosted “Your Green,” a weekly radio program on WNIV 970 AM where he prepares and teaches others on financial topics of interest each week and interviews people of interest in the financial world, including Robert Kiyosaki of the Rich Dad, Poor Dad best selling book series, Tom and David Gardner of the Motley Fools, and more. He also writes a monthly financial column also called “Your Green” for the Hall Citizen, the Gwinnett Citizen and the Walton Citizen papers.

Green’s commitment to his clients and to excellence and service has been repeatedly acknowledged through the awards, achievements and designations he has earned throughout his career.

Some of Green’s awards include the “MONY Theodore Shalak Award” for client persistency and service excellence, the MONY Securities Top representative, IFGNS Top representative and Top of the Table International. In addition, the Atlanta Business Chronicle recently placed Green Financial resources in the top twenty financial firms in Atlanta by assets under management – the only Gwinnett-based firm to make the list.

Georgia Lifestyles May/June 2005

Gwinnett Living Magazine: Business Matters April 2005

Gwinnett Magazine July/August 2005

Gwinnett Business Journal: Interview April 2006

Jezebel Magazine: Dentists of Distinction April 2006

Gwinnett Magazine Business All-Stars May 2006

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WXIA-TV Atlanta & Company September 2006
Atlanta's Homes And Lifestyles Magazine on Comcast Cable TV January 2007

Gerson Lehrman Group Scholar Consultant to Wall Street September 2007

Suwanee Dental Care and Dr. Bill Williams named Finalist for the Technology Association of Georgia's EXCALIBUR AWARD October 2007

Ron Lamb Award Christian Dental Society for outstanding missions service 2007

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Small Business Person of the Year Award Criteria:

Primary owner or major stockholder of the business
Member of Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
Staying power–a substantial history as an established business
Growth in the number of employees
Increase in the sales dollar and/or unit volume
Original entrepreneurship
Innovations of product or services offered
Response to adversity
Active member of the community