Published
October 08, 2024
The CO—100 Top Business 2024 is Confero, Inc., a customer experience research provider and multigenerational family business located in Cary, North Carolina.
Confero President and CEO Elaine Buxton was presented with a check for $25,000 at the Night of 100 Stars event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on October 8.
"You know that moment when you want to sit and cry because you run out of money or you run out of clients or run out of the will to live and you want to stop?" she said as she emotionally accepted the honor. "Don't stop. That's the moment you know you just have to keep going. ... When you're ready to give up, just don't. Thirty-eight years later, I'm sitting next to you with this giant check and it's just unbelievable."
In addition to Confero’s recognition, the U.S. Chamber celebrated all the outstanding companies on the CO—100 list and announced 10 Top Honorees for outstanding achievement in their category. Confero was Top Honoree in the category of Enduring Businesses.
“By having the vision to fill an unmet need, the courage to start something new, and the resilience to see their dreams become reality, the CO—100 represent the best of our nation’s entrepreneurial spirit,” Chamber President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark said. “Confero, and our 10 Top Honorees, demonstrate how people, through business, can serve customers, solve problems, and strengthen society every day. As we celebrate this year’s winners and all the outstanding businesses on our 2024 CO—100 list, we recognize the innovative spirit, relentless perseverance, and exceptional expertise that defines the dreamers, the doers, and the innovators who push our nation forward.”
Learn more about the 10 Top Honorees and see the complete CO—100 list.
Enduring Growth & Innovation
Decades of consistent growth, strong client relationships, innovative offerings, and an unwavering dedication to helping other companies succeed propelled Confero to the Top Business title.
Founded in 1986, Confero started as a training consulting service. Realizing a great demand for the customized “needs assessments” provided as part of their training, the company shifted its focus to mystery shopping — spurring a journey of continued growth and innovation.
Through decades of operational pivots and economic downturns, Confero transformed from a modest startup serving local and regional companies to a thriving business boasting long-term relationships with clients like Coca-Cola North America, Jersey Mike’s Subs, and AMC Theatres.
In 1998, Confero played a pivotal role in forming the Mystery Shopping Professionals Association (MSPA), a trade association representing the customer experience and merchandising industries throughout the Americas.
Confero, a member of the Cary Chamber of Commerce, attributes its sustained growth and success to an experienced leadership team, continuous innovation, responsible financial management, and diversified clients.
CO—100 VIP Experience and Night of 100 Stars Awards Gala
All CO—100 honorees were invited to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. for the awards ceremony. Starting Monday evening, the 100 honorees — some of whom were visiting Washington for the first time — participated in a VIP experience that included an exclusive reception at the Renwick Gallery, a VIP tour of the U.S. Capitol Building, media opportunities, and workshops with some of the country’s top business strategists.
They also attended the CO—100 Small Business Forum, featuring Olympic Gold Medalist and small business owner Dominique Dawes and other influential small business owners and experts from brands including Chopt, Ethan Allen, and SheaMoisture.
Congratulations to the entire Confero team and all honorees. You make us proud to represent small businesses.
Olympic Gold Medalist talked about the importance of balance as a small business owner.
The 2024 CO—100 were recognized and celebrated at the Chamber's historic headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Members of the 2024 CO—100 were given a private tour of the U.S. Capitol.
Rodney Davis, head of government relations at the U.S. Chamber, speaks to honorees during their tour of the U.S. Capitol.
Tom Wickham, senior vice president of state & local policy at the U.S. Chamber, speaks to honorees at the U.S. Capitol.
Members of the 2024 CO—100 at the U.S. Capitol.
Simone Jordan, Global Head of Purpose and Partnerships at SheaMoisture, Farooq Kathwari, CEO of Ethan Allen, and Nick Marsh, CEO of Chopt and Founder’s Table Restaurant Group, share business tips.
Olivia Cleary, founder and head of design at The Clearly Collective, co-leads a masterclass on innovation during the Small Business Forum.
Policy Updates that Small Businesses Need to Know
Before the gala, the The CO—100 Small Business Forum provided opportunities for small businesses to connect, learn, and grow. First up was U.S. Chamber Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley in a Q&A session on the latest small business policy news with Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of CO—, Jeanette Mulvey.
Bradley said that the tightness in the labor and the competition for talent was likely to continue over the long term due to long-term generational and demographic trends.
“Today, we still have more open jobs than we have people looking for work and because of the demographics and the retirement of the Baby Boomers, that’s likely to continue,” Bradley said. “And so, while the labor market is easing and it may be a little bit easier to hire than it was a year, or two years ago, I'm afraid this is probably a little bit of the new normal and it’s going to be with us for awhile.”
He also addressed the expiration of 2017 tax cuts next year and what impact America’s “Tax Cliff” would have on small businesses
“What does that mean if you’re an S Corp, an LLC, or a sole proprietorship?” Bradley said. “What that means is, is that your top marginal federal tax rate will go from 29.6% to 39%. So, we're increasing that by more than a third overnight. That’s obviously not sustainable and it's something that Congress is going to have to address…This is going to be the top priority for the U.S. Chamber.”
1-on-1 With Olympic Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes
Michelle Russo, the U.S. Chamber’s Executive Vice President and Chief Communications & Marketing Officer sat down with U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes, the owner of Dominique Dawes Gymnastics Academy and Ninja Studio in Maryland.
Dawes said that her earlier gymnastics career helped her develop the mindset of a small business owner.
“Gymnastics was a great outlet for me in some capacity. I learned not to quit, to persevere, to push through pain,” she said. “I learned to set goals—there was always something that I was striving for. And that helped me in some aspects of my entrepreneurial journey.”
Dawes also spoke about the importance of maintaining a work-life balance even as a go-getter entrepreneur.
“I just knew I didn't want my business to run me, I wanted to run my business,” Dawes said. “And when I was capable of then bringing in partners and being able to step away so I can have a better work/life balance, I did that.”
Executive Insights: From Strategy To Delivery
Next, Barbara Thau, Editorial Director, Features for CO— sat down with Nick Marsh, CEO of Chopt Creative Salad Co. and Founder's Table Restaurant Group; Farooq Kathwari, CEO of Ethan Allen; and Simone Jordan, Global Head of Purpose and Partnerships at SheaMoisture to learn more about the success strategies that propelled their companies from small businesses to nationally recognized brands.
For Jordan, it’s fundamentally important that as you scale, you keep a clear idea of your customer in your head and keep serving them.
“We were created based on an unmet need in the market…There were black women who did not see anything specifically for them in mass retail. So, we responded to that,” Jordan said. “Even as we have gotten bigger — we have to realize there are so many beauty businesses that are reaching out to serve multi-cultural hair — yet this woman is still someone that we serve, so we have that as our north star.”
Marsh said not to get discouraged if people don’t “get” your original idea.
“If it’s a good idea, everyone will doubt you at the beginning,” Marsh said. “People didn’t want salad as an entrée, but they wanted to eat a bit healthier. They didn’t want to give up flavor, but dressings that had flavor really worked…There were ways into bigger markets even though the idea didn’t really resonate at first. So, you’ve got to believe in what you’re selling, but you have got to see where those customers are coming from.”
1:1 T-Mobile for Business
Bill Brittingham, Director of SMB Sales at T-Mobile for Business, joined the Forum to chat small business strategy with Kristen DelGuzzi, the Chamber’s Vice President and Editor-in-Chief.
Brittingham said that small businesses are a vital part of its business and that T-Mobile was working on boosting its coverage in rural areas and, in the future, providing connectivity via satellite in previously unreachable areas.
“We’re continuing to expand our 5G network, specifically into rural markets,” Brittingham said. “There will be a point at some stage, where your device will be able to have that connectivity without a wireless network in place…In time, you’re going to be able to go to a mountaintop or the middle of an ocean and have that same connectivity.”
Embracing Excellence: Finding And Leveraging Your Business Strengths
Next, Jeanette Mulvey welcomed two impressive entrepreneurs to the stage to talk about the business strategies they leaned into to make their business stand out.
Olivia Cleary is the Founder and Head of Design at The Clearly Collective and Marquita Carter is the Founder and CEO of Blanket Pancakes & Syrup.
Carter said that while finding investors was important—it was even more important to ensure your business was ready, when they time came, to partner with an investor.
“The product we used most was our website. E-commerce was a huge, huge part of our strategy,” Carter said. “We knew that without capital, without having the investors just yet — What can we do? We used e-commerce, we used social media, and while we were doing that we worked on the backend, on our foundation, building up the infrastructure of our business…So, that when we did find that investor, we were able to walk right through that door.”
The AI Factor: Real Takeaways for Small Businesses
A business leader at the forefront of AI took to the stage to address a topic on everyone’s mind: leveraging AI. For the final session of the day, Sandeep Singh, Director and Head of AI Product Management at Iron Mountain sat down with the U.S. Chamber’s Kristen DelGuzzi.
Singh said that AI had a huge potential for levelling the playing field between large and small businesses.
“AI is a democratizing technology and what I mean by that is that it’s going to give more power back to you. The latest generation is really exciting because it is empowering small businesses” Singh said. “More and more, you’ll see AI specializing in specific tasks…AI can help automate invoicing or onboarding employees.”
The U.S. Chamber and CO—’s Small Business Impact
Small businesses are a priority for the U.S. Chamber every day of the year, not just during the annual Forum and awards celebration.
The CO—100 program is part of the U.S. Chamber’s longstanding commitment to supporting and advocating for small businesses, working each day to give small businesses a big voice in Washington, connecting entrepreneurs and federal officials, and advocating for policies and valuable resources that help people start, run, and grow their businesses.
CO—, the U.S. Chamber’s digital platform for small business, is dedicated to helping business owners across the U.S. start, run, and grow successful companies. CO— helps 20,000 businesses every day and had more than six million site visits last year alone. The platform provides timely and actionable information and resources for business owners at all stages of growth through expert content, exclusive interviews with business leaders, and virtual and in-person events.
Learn more about the U.S. Chamber’s small business work here.
About the authors
Thaddeus Swanek
Thaddeus is a senior writer and editor with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's strategic communications team.
