Aetna Small Group Announces National Winner of First Small Business of the Year Contest
Mathews Construction of Tampa, Fla. receives honor
HARTFORD, Conn., Jun 4, 2003 — Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) today announced Mathews Construction, located in Tampa, Fla., as the national winner of the Small Business of the Year contest. The contest, which opened in January 2003, celebrated the value and impact of small businesses in America and was open to companies that have 2 to 50 eligible employees and currently offer an Aetna Small Group (ASG) health benefits plan.
Mathews Construction was chosen among five other regional winners for demonstrating outstanding earnings growth and a strong commitment to the Tampa Bay community. A luncheon will be held today at Aetna’s headquarters in Hartford, Conn., to honor the company and other regional winners.
"Mathews Construction truly exemplifies the qualities we were looking for in the first winner of Aetna’s Small Business of the Year contest," said William Roth, Aetna senior vice president and head of ASG. "The many entries that we received for this contest are a testament to the vital role that small businesses play in their local communities. We were impressed by all of the entries and are pleased to recognize the achievements of six extraordinary small businesses."
David Oellerich, president of Mathews Construction, has led the 41-year- old company since 1994. Specializing in commercial construction on the west coast of Florida, Mathews Construction has achieved significant earnings and job growth with $65 million in revenue and 39 employees.
"We are honored to have this award bestowed upon Mathews Construction. It is gratifying for the entire Mathews team to be acknowledged for all of their hard work and delivering results, not only for our business, but for the benefit of our local community," said David Oellerich.
The panel of judges who selected Mathews Construction included Eric Cormier, ASG head of sales and administration; Kevin Corcoran, National Association of Health Underwriters executive director; Paul Edwards, author and columnist; Sarah Edwards, author and columnist; Michael Philpott, American Small Business Association marketing director; Janet Harris-Lange, National Women Business Owners Corporation national president; Laurie Ledgard, Hartford Business Journal senior reporter; and Lee Jones, publisher of Inc. The judges evaluated each nominated small business based on a variety of factors including:
- Exemplary community involvement
- A unique start-up story
- Overcoming significant business obstacles
- Outstanding earnings growth and profitability
"Every employee of Mathews Construction is respected as an integral part of his or her team. Working together, the many contributions they make to their own community demonstrate their commitment and dedication," said Linda Walker of Poppell Insurance, the broker who nominated the company. "They should be proud of this accomplishment."
Small businesses themselves, as well as licensed brokers and general agents selling Aetna’s medical, life and disability products, were eligible to submit nominations. In addition to Mathews Construction, the other regional winners were Chicago Steaks, Chicago, Ill., Lane’s Dairy Ltd., El Paso, TX, Miller Fire Protection, Forestville, Md., Coffee By Design, Inc., Portland, ME, and Arizona Building Systems, Phoenix, Ariz.
Aetna Small Group was established to meet the unique needs of companies with 2 to 50 eligible employees. In the past year, ASG introduced a simplified product portfolio including several HMO, PPO, dental, life and short-term disability products and prescription drug coverage in several states.
Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) is one of the nation’s leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability and long-term care products, serving more than 13.0 million medical members, 11.4 million dental members and 11.8 million group insurance customers, as of March 31, 2003. The company has expansive nationwide networks of more than 562,000 health care services providers, including over 337,000 primary care and specialist physicians and 3,387 hospitals. For more information about Aetna, please visit the company’s website at www.aetna.com.
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