Business owner hopes to be more than an award nominee

Cameron Stewart, owner, and co-founder of Alcam Medical Orthotic and Prosthetics in Riverside is counting the days to Nov. 10.

That’s the evening the 2021 Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards will be presented, the annual recognition of outstanding business achievement by the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at Cal State San Bernardino.

This year’s black-tie event will be held at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside, and Stewart says he can’t wait.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Stewart, whose company is one of four nominated in the Healthcare Entrepreneur category, one of six categories being recognized. “We’ve never been nominated, and I’ve never been to a black tie event.”

Stewart, whose company makes prosthetic limbs and special shoes, learned of his company’s nomination by e-mail.

Now, the only way to top being nominated would be to win.

“I was happy to hear that we were nominated and even happier to hear that we were named a finalist,” Stewart said. “Just being a finalist is a great honor. But I’m a competitive guy, and I would like to win.”

This will be the 19th year the Center for Entrepreneurship will give out the awards, which are meant to recognize general excellence in the development and management of a company, according to Mike Stull, the center’s director.

Other categories include General Entrepreneur, Manufacturing Entrepreneur, Service-Based Entrepreneur, Small/Emerging Enterprise, and Social Entrepreneur.

Nonprofits are included in the General Entrepreneur category.  A Best-of-the-Best Award is also given out, and Cal State San Bernardino business students deliver 90-second pitches for businesses that are judged by the audience.

All six categories, and Best-of-the-Best winners, are judged by former Spirit of the Entrepreneur winners.

Other companies nominated in the Healthcare Entrepreneur category are:

• 3C Health in Palm Desert;
• Aleph Group Inc. in Riverside;
• Arrowhead Orthopaedics in Riverside.

The Fox Performing Arts Center is at 3801 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside.

For more information or to get tickets to visit https://spiritawardsie.com/ or call Stacy Allis at (909) 329-4515.