NASHVILLE, TN — Nashville-based financial services company, Advance Financial, was recently named the winner of two Gold Stevie® Awards and one Silver Stevie® Award in the 17th Annual American Business Awards®. The company’s CEO and CXO, Tina Hodges, won the gold award for Woman of the Year in Consumer Services and gold for Fastest Growing Company of the Year for organizations up to 2,500 employees. Advance Financial also earned a silver award for Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year for organizations up to 2,500 employees.
The Woman of the Year category recognizes achievements of women in the workplace in 2018. Under Tina Hodges leadership, 2018 proved to be an incredibly strong year for the company as it hit multiple growth milestones and elevated its tradition of giving back to the local communities it serves.
The Fastest Growing Company of the Year category recognizes outstanding revenue growth in 2018 compared to 2017. The company opened 16 new stores in 2018, eclipsing 100 stores total, and in five years the company’s total revenue grew from approximately $73 million to more than $300 million — 226% growth — landing it on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies for the seventh year in a row. The company also welcomed hundreds of new employees, growing from 800 at the end of 2017 to more than 1,150 in 2018 – a meteoric 62 percent growth in just a year.
“The past year has been nothing short of remarkable for our company,” said Hodges. “We are honored to accept these awards recognizing the dedication our company has to our employees, our customers and our communities. We look forward to growing and giving back even more in 2019.”
The Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year category recognizes organizations’ contributions to society. Founded in Nashville, Advance Financial considers the entire state of Tennessee its home and believes in partnering with organizations throughout the state that align with its values and goals. The charitable arm of Advance Financial, the Advance Financial Foundation, contributed $561,000 in donations, grants and scholarships to organizations and students across the state in 2018.
“We are fully committed to each and every community we do business,” says Shantrelle Johnson, VP of Corporate Citizenship for the Advance Financial Foundation. “Our employees not only work here, we live here. And many of our customers are our friends and neighbors.”
The American Business Awards were created in 2002 to honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and working professionals worldwide. More than 3,800 nominations from organizations of all sizes and industries were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, and more than 200 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year’s Stevie Award winners.
“The nominations submitted to the 2019 American Business Awards were outstanding,” said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards. “They illustrate the continued vibrancy of innovation and high level of achievement across the American economic landscape.”
Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2019 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.
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