glassybaby Named Top Community Champion of 2024

US Chamber of Commerce CO-100 Recognizes glassybaby From Group of 100 Distinguished Small Businesses 

SEATTLE, Oct. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- glassybaby, the mission-driven, USA-made art-glass votive company, has been named Top Community Champion – and a top ten small business of 2024 – by the US Chamber of Commerce, the company announced today.

"We are deeply honored to receive this national recognition by the US Chamber," said Lee Rhodes, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of glassybaby. "For two decades, glassybaby has produced beautiful, hand-made glass votives that give back to the community and promote hope and healing. To see our efforts acknowledged in this way is truly remarkable."

glassybaby received the honor at the US Chamber of Commerce's CO-100 "Night of 100 Stars" gala on October 8, 2024, which celebrated 100 of the "best and brightest small businesses in America" – a group selected from over 14,000 applicants. glassybaby earned the distinction by an esteemed panel of expert judges in the fields of business and journalism.

Lee Rhodes is a three-time lung cancer survivor who started glassybaby in her garage 20 years ago. The company is now on target to be a $30 million brand in 2024. Lee had the idea while undergoing chemotherapy when she lit a candle in a piece of art glass and felt healing from it, and wanted others to feel the same.

Each glassybaby has a name and a meaning to signify something important, including Hope, Courage, Strength, and Gratitude. A passionate community of glassybaby fans often gift them to friends and loved ones commemorating special moments in their lives.

glassybaby's passion is giving back. Since opening, the company has donated $15 million to cause-driven organizations helping people, animals, and the planet. Half of glassybaby's 2024 giving will support the B+ Foundation, a group that helps children and their families battling cancer. 

The company began in Seattle and is expanding eastward. glassybaby now operates a manufacturing facility in Montana, where it trains glassblowers for free, and will soon add Dallas to a growing list of brick-and-mortar stores. 

"Our 10 Top Honorees demonstrate how people, through business, can serve customers, solve problems, and strengthen society every day. As we celebrate this year's winners and all the outstanding businesses on our 2024 CO—100 list, we recognize the innovative spirit, relentless perseverance, and exceptional expertise that defines the dreamers, the doers, and the innovators who push our nation forward," said Suzanne Clark, President and CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce.

About glassybaby:

glassybaby is a glass votive company that prioritizes purpose over profit. A team of 70 glassblowers make roughly 800 glassybaby a day between the company's Seattle and Montana hot shops. Lee and glassybaby have been featured on The Martha Stewart Show, Kathy Lee & Hoda on TODAY, CBS MoneyWatch, Bloomberg News, and The Nate Berkus Show. The company has received numerous features and accolades from media outlets, including The New York Times, Huffington Post, and Town & Country Magazine. In 2011, Lee was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Entrepreneur Magazine, the first woman to receive the honor out of thousands of applicants nationwide.

About the US Chamber of Commerce CO-100:

The CO-100 is run by the US Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business organization which advocates for policies that help businesses create jobs and grow the US economy. The CO-100 is an "exclusive list [that] recognizes 100 of the best and brightest small and mid-sized businesses across America, celebrated for their remarkable contributions in driving innovation, growth, and ingenuity both locally and globally. These businesses shine through their inspiring ideas and the ways they overcome challenges, enrich community impact, foster vibrant company cultures, and engage customers."

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SOURCE glassybaby