Photo by Shavell Martin
Gloria Pugh is on a roll. The CEO and president of A Man with a Truck last week was honored as the Woman Owned Business of the Year.
“Among many nominees the committee decided who would receive the award. One of the many reasons AMWAT was selected was because it is a local business that has been in our community for a number of years. Gloria is not only a great business person but she is also a community trustee,” Daryl Jones., vice president of Leon County’s Office of Economic Vitality, said while presenting Pugh with the award.
It all started in 2005 with a truck, three employees, and a rented 300-square-foot space when Pugh became the CEO of her husband, Rodger “Dean” Pugh’s, local moving company. Within that 300 square feet was a tiny bathroom that Pugh had to share with several men who didn’t clean up after themselves.
That’s all it took to inspire Pugh to succeed. It wasn’t easy though. Pugh had no experience as a CEO nor knowledge about the moving industry.
With time and dedication, Pugh discovered that the moving industry had a poor reputation, so she made it her duty to operate as the best moving company locally, statewide and nationally.
Fast forward to July 18, 2008, AMWAT took over business from the oldest and largest moving and storage company in Tallahassee. By December of that year during the recession even though everything was falling apart for a lot of companies, Pugh said “failure was not an option; we were lucky because over 800 moving companies in the state of Florida alone went out of business.”
The Office of Economic Vitality’s Minority, Women, and Small Business Enterprise kicked off it 27th Annual Big Bend MED (Minority Enterprise Development) week reception on Oct. 21.
MWSBE is committed to creating opportunities, developing business relations and promoting interaction and participation for minority, women and small businesses. With that initiative, MED week is able to highlight and honor minority entrepreneurs and business owners, by helping minorities grow through a series of educational, training and networking events.
Jones, deputy director of Minority Women and Small Business Enterprise programs, served as the host during the awards presentations.
Edward E. Acoff, a person who has longevity in the local community and supports minority- and women-owned businesses, received the 2019 Reggie Rolle Economic Development Champion of the Year. Acoff was a huge supporter and mentee for AMWAT who told the company earlier in the year, “I’m going to nominate AMWAT for the Woman Owned Business of the Year.”
“My overall greatest career achievement has been the continued growth of the company and the opportunities it has provided me and my husband, Dean to give back to our employees and our community. We are now the largest moving and warehousing company in the area. Oh, and I have my very own, pretty, clean bathroom,” Pugh said.