The Arlington Chamber of Commerce on May 19 celebrated businesses and organizations that combine organizational success with a commitment to the broader community.
The 40th annual Best Business Awards drew 250 local leaders to Army Navy Country Club for “the premier celebration of businesses of all sizes in Arlington,” Chamber president/CEO Kate Bates said.
The 2026 Best Business Award honorees were:
- Latinas Leading Tomorrow, 2026 Nonprofit of the Year
- MGI Corporate Gifts, 2026 Retail Business of the Year
- Alair Homes Arlington, 2026 Service Business of the Year
- Bean, Kinney & Korman P.C., 2026 Large Business of the Year
Nominees are evaluated by past award winners on five criteria: service excellence; significant growth or stability; a unique approach to delivering goods or services; community engagement; and a commitment to inclusion.
“It’s all merit-based,” Bates said.
The second half of the evening was devoted to a celebration of local architect and civic leader Michael T. Foster. He was the latest to be inducted into the Arlington Business Hall of Fame.
Attendees at the event included Karen Rosales, CEO of Arlington Community Federal Credit Union, which was the night’s signature sponsor.
“This is one of our favorite, favorite events all year long,” Rosales said. “I get inspired. Every year, I learn something.”
Chamber board chair Bismah Ahmed said both the Best Business Award recipients and all the nominees deserved celebration.
“You deserved this. You earned this,” said Ahmed, who is also vice president of government affairs for the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington.
One of the nominees in the retail small business category was Bayou Bakery. Chef David Guas said it was important for businesses to take on leadership roles.
“We’ve gotten a lot more involved in our community in the last five or six years,” Guas said in a nomination video played at the ceremony. He pointed to his firm’s support for PathForward, which provides safety-net services, and Chefs for Equality.
Foster, the new Hall of Fame inductee, agreed with Guas that businesses need to give back. His goal for his firm, MTFA Architecture, was to recognize that it is “not just the clients who are very important, but it’s those that they serve — the communities they’re in.”
Among the firm’s projects was Army Navy Country Club’s main building, where the ceremony took place.
The Arlington Business Hall of Fame was established in 2009. Foster, the 2011 Chamber chair and one who long has been active in Arlington civic life, was inducted by local banking executive Bob Hawthorne, a 2023 inductee.
Hawthorne, who three decades ago encouraged Foster to become active in the Chamber, said the 2026 honoree has “made a lasting impact on our Chamber and our community.”
Foster joins the list of inductees representing business and community leaders past and present. In addition to Hawthorne, several previous recipients were in attendance.
