The brothers are second-generation business owners of Cooper Pest Solutions, a pest control company started by their late father, Ted, in 1955. The Cooper family was selected for the award based on criteria that include: Growth in Number of Employees; Increase in Sales; Demonstrating Potential for Long-Term Business Success and Economic Growth; and Contributions to Aid and Support Community Projects and Charities. The Coopers were nominated for their award by Kim Dennison of the Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
In making the presentation at Cooper Pest Solutions headquarters, SBA New Jersey District Director James A. Kocsi said, "This award honors a family-owned and operated business which has been passed on from one generation to another and has been operational for at least 15 years. It is refreshing to see a second generation of small business owners who value what their father has passed on to them. Clearly Phil and Rick Cooper have demonstrated a love for the business and have taken it new heights. They are also prepared to pass the business on to a third generation when the time comes."
Phillip Cooper said, "I am thrilled to accept this award on behalf of the best team in the world. They are dedicated, hard working and fun to be around. You can see it with the gigantic leaps we have made in becoming one of the top companies in the country delivering products and services for bed bugs."
In addition to receiving SBA's New Jersey Family-Owned Business of the Year Award, the Coopers were awarded the SBA Regional Family-Owned Business of the Year Award for SBA Region II, which encompasses New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The regional designation allowed the firm to compete for the title of National Family-Owned Business of the Year. Cooper Pest Solutions competed with representatives of 49 other states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam for that distinction. The 2007 National Award went to Nancy D. Marshall, President & CEO of the Aluminum Supply Company of Detroit, Michigan.
The Coopers will also be honored by the SBA New Jersey District Office and the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce at the Annual New Jersey Small Business Week Awards Luncheon slated for Tuesday, June 5, 2007, at the Pines Manor in Edison, New Jersey.