JRL Ventures wins Blue Chip nod

JRL Ventures/Marine Concepts beat out four other finalists to receive the Southwest Florida Blue Chip Community Business Award earlier this afternoon.

The Blue Chip award program is coordinated and sponsored by BB&T-Oswald Trippe and Company. The award recognizes a small business that overcomes adversity to achieve success.

JRL Ventures/Marine Concepts fits the criteria, the organization determined. For example, when the downturn struck, company executives Bob Long and Matt Chambers reduced their workforce from 135 employees to 25, and were forced to learn about new industries to keep their business afloat. Today, the company has grown back to 90 employees, and expects to fully return to its prior level of peak employment.

JRL Ventures was featured in an April issue of the Business Review, and was named one of the region's Best Managed Companies of 2010.