BEING inspired and being able to inspire were among the traits shared by the six local entrepreneurs who were honored during the 14th Annual Grand Chamber Awards Tuesday night.

The top award—Entrepreneur of the Year—was handed to Profood International Corp. president Justin Uy who was described during the awards night as a “self-made business icon.”

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When he was 12, Uy started selling cigarettes to vendors on consignment. Shortly after, he he ventured into shell craft and later opened an egg and poultry business.

He enabled Profoods to achieve further growth amid economic and financial difficulties, and positioned the company as leading producer and exporter of processed fruit products.

“I am here partly because of my brother and sisters.

I think my greatest success is to get 11 of us to work together.

That is something I am very proud of,” said Uy who received the award from Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City south) and Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) president Samuel Chioson.

In a separate video message, Uy said the secret of being a successful entrepreneur is hard work. “There is no replacement for it,” he added.

The other awardees—Hyundai Cebu president Edward Onglatco as the Young Entrepreneur of the Year; San Remigio Beach Club president Antonio Ynoc as the Countryside Entrepreneur of the Year; CNT Lechon proprietors Norman and Catherine Quijada as Small Business Entrepreneurs of the Year; 33 point 3 Exports Inc. president Jenifer Cruz as the Socially Responsible Entrepreneur of the Year; and Royal Oaks International School president as the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year—shared his views about the importance of hard work and perseverance.

The CCCI picked its awardees based on social responsibility, personal integrity, their businesses’ strategic direction, entrepreneurial spirit and the financial performance of their companies.

The Grand Chamber Awards, which was culmination of the Cebu Business Month 2009 of the CCCI, also included four special citations.

The Cebu Investment Promotions Center (CIPC) received a special citation for promoting Cebu to foreign direct investors.

According CCCI, CIPC is the “driver of investment opportunities in Cebu, the provider of business research and data...(and) the developer and trendsetter of economic thrust and direction.”

Cebu Mitsumi, Inc. got a special citation for employment generation and for being the top employer in Cebu. The electronic parts manufacturer had 8,393 workers as of March and contributes at least P40 million a month to the local economy.

A special citation for exemplary commitment to Cebu was given to Lexmark Research and Development Corp. for bringing its research and development operations to Cebu.

The company was also lauded for having “greatly contributed (and for being a) catalyst (in propelling) Cebu’s information and technology toward global competitiveness.”

British Armour Manufacturing International Inc. also received a special citation for exemplary contribution to innovation and technology. The company has more than 30 years of expertise in armoring and providing protection to guarantee ballistic safety with high quality design.

Grand Chamber Awards 2009 chair Alice Woolbright Fernandez said in a statement that the award’s goal was to provide “more than our usual dose of inspiration in today’s crucial and fragile economy.”