Three local businesses have been identified as finalists for the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce’s Business of the Year Award, and each can cite ways they have enriched the county.

Those three businesses are the Rockingham Speedway, Exit Realty and Re/Max Tri-City Realty, and one of these will be announced as the winner at the 26th Annual Dinner and Recognition Night on Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Cole Auditorium.

“I think it’s great that we were nominated for it,” Rockingham Speedway Owner Andy Hillenburg said.

Hillenburg sees two ways the speedway has made an impact on the county - morale and commerce.

“I think that motorsports coming back in the community, and having day-to-day activities, as well as racing events, at the track have clearly raised the excitement level of the community,” he said.

He also pointed out the boost that is given, especially to the service industry, when spectators visit Richmond County to attend an event at the speedway.

“I think that if we were fortunate enough to be in that position (business of the year), other race tracks and racing fans from the region may pick up on that and more spectators show up for the events,” Hillenburg said. “When there are more spectators at our events, then that means the restaurants benefit, the hotels benefit and other businesses in the community benefit.”

Community leaders like Rockingham Mayor Gene McLaurin have been supportive of Hillenburg’s efforts and his vision for the raceway, and he expressed his ambitions for it.

“I don’t know if it’ll ever be as big as it was, but we’d certainly like to see make it as big as it can be,” McLaurin said. “And we give a big thanks to everyone in Richmond County for their support of our events last year, and look forward to seeing them again this year.”

Re/Max Tri-City Realty is also a finalist for the business of the year award.

“We are flattered to be nominated, and very pleased to be grouped with these two great companies,” broker and co-owner Jamie Moss-Godfrey said.

She said that she has been an active member of the chamber for 20 years, and her partner, broker and co-owner Kim Whitley, has been for 15 years, and as individual business owners since 2005.

“We do more than trying to make a sale — we are very well-known in the community for participating with United Way, and being members of the Lion’s Club and the Rotary Club and others,” she said.

She listed over 20 ways the company has given back to the community, through the support of non-profit organizations, sponsorship of Re/Max ARCA, churches and schools, and even raising money to get Jack Berry a seizure alert dog and hosting a Bucky Covington event at their office.

She added that the company either has previously had or presently has representation on about a dozen local boards of community organizations, including Keep Richmond County Beautiful, Habitat For Humanity and WomenFolk Unlimited.

“We set a very high standard for our agents, and in recruiting employees this is what we’re looking for, people who are interested in more than just making a dollar,” Moss-Godfrey said. “We’re interested in people who want to participate in the community and civic clubs and in giving their time with no price tag attached to it.”

She pointed out that Re/Max is the largest real estate franchise in the world, with the second most viewed real estate website.

“What we’re more interested in is being members of the community, and giving back, and we believe that it will bring us business the right way,” Moss-Godfrey said. “Every third Thursday, we’re down at Backpack Pals filling up backpacks for kids, every October we have Breast Cancer Awareness Month and every agent in here, out of every commission they make, donates money to Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte through the Children’s Miracle Network.

“All of these things have made us as successful as we are.”

Exit Realty Owner Tim Hayden opened his construction business in 2002 and his real estate business in 2006.

He sees his business as a bit of a trendsetter in the industry.

“For instance, we were the first company to have the moving truck, and to let our clients and civic and community groups use it at no charge,” he said.

He also said he is the only certified E-Pro Realtor in the area, and was the first to utilize the call capture system with a toll-free number on the top of his billboards.

“That is a program that teaches us how to use e-mail in some different ways, to follow up, and to use the call-capture system and also puts us in touch with some of the different document storage companies you can get in touch with to store documents over the internet,” he said.

In addition, he said that he’d just returned from a home builder’s conference in Las Vegas where he was exposed to some innovative techniques involving green energy sources and new products that aren’t widely available to the public.

“Really we’ve grown by just being active in the community,” Hayden said.

He said his company sponsors several community organizations and events including Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Relay for Life and the Boy Scouts of America.

The chamber requires that candidates be members in good standing and have been in business for more than a year.

The criteria set forth for the award is three-pronged, with an emphasis on innovation, response to adversity and community involvement.

Innovation is defined by marketing, overcoming significant challenges, employee relations, customer development, technology, distribution and competitive advantage.

Response to adversity is defined by significant challenges and overcoming one or more of the following: employee relations, growth, training, retention, management and technology.

Community Involvement is defined by active involvement in community-based or non-profit organizations.