J.P. Licks Captures 2006 Small Business of the Year Award

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CONTACT: Steven V. Dubin, PR Works, (781) 582-1061, sdubin@prworkzone.com

J.P. Licks Captures 2006 Small Business of the Year Award

DATELINE: BOSTON; BROOKLINE; JAMAICA PLAIN; NEWTON CENTRE; SOMERVILLE AND WEST ROXBURY, MA… J.P. Licks Homemade Ice Cream Café, celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, has captured the 2006 Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year (SBOY) Award.

The SBOY award recognizes the entrepreneurial achievements of Greater Boston’s smaller for-profit companies (with gross revenues of $1 million) that display strong financial performance, achievement in management, workplace excellence, product innovation, as well as community and social responsibility. After a thorough review by a 20 person selection committee, which included an official site visit in which the company gave a formal business presentation, J.P. Licks was selected as this year’s winner of the coveted award.

Vince Petryk, founder and owner of all seven J.P. Licks scoop shops in the Boston area leads an executive team of six, as well as seven store managers and 36 year-round employees, plus an additional 71 (full and part-time employees) during the peak summer season. The Kosher certified J.P. Licks makes all of their ice cream and frozen treats from their own scratch recipes, in their Jamaica Plain production center and headquarters.

J.P. Licks offers 40 flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet and lactose-free ice cream daily. Specialty flavors are “rotated in” from more than 200 flavors in their flavor library. In 1999, the company began roasting their own coffee beans (with half being certified fair trade and organic) on-site in the Jamaica Plain store and incorporating high quality, freshly brewed coffee and espresso into store offerings. No other “ice cream café” in the United States makes their own ice cream and roasts their own coffee.

Caring for the Community
Last year, J.P. Licks contributed directly to more than 500 charities, schools and individuals, focusing their giving to those whose primary mission is to service the needs of children and families from the communities in which they do business.

“Passion, innovation and a commitment to excellence in product and service are more than just words to us, it’s what we aspire to everyday,” explained Petryk. “We have successfully adapted to dramatic changes in our markets, neighborhood demographics, consumer tastes, health trends, and community expectations. We have sustained consistent growth and profitability for 25 years. We’ve achieved admirable financial success by focusing most of our time, effort, and resources, not on competing, but on taking care of people…meaning our employees, our customers, and also our neighbors who may never be able to afford the luxury of an ice cream cone.”

He continued, “It’s a great honor to be recognized as the Chamber’s Small Business of the Year.”

J. P. Licks will be honored at the SBOY Awards Luncheon which will be held at the Colonnade Hotel on October 26, 2006 at 12 p.m. This year’s featured speaker will be Larry Weber, chairman and CEO of W2 Group and the Master of Ceremonies will be Anthony Silva of WBZ-AM 1030.

For more information about the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, visit www.bostonchamber.com.

Award Winning Recipes
J.P. Licks, the homemade ice cream and fresh roasted coffee café with seven shops in and around Boston, Mass., is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. Locally owned and operated by founder Vince Petryk since 1981, J.P. Licks has received many accolades over the years for their intensely-flavored homemade ice cream and frozen yogurt from Boston Globe Sunday Magazine and Boston Magazine and most recently Boston Phoenix Reader’s Poll “Best Ice Cream 2006” and Improper Bostonian “Best Ice Cream 2006”.

Creating a niche in the ice cream café world, J.P. Licks is Kosher certified – meeting all the high quality standards pertaining to ingredients, production and store cleanliness. In addition to their frozen creations, J.P. Licks offers high quality, full bodied, freshly brewed coffee from beans roasted on-site at their “mother ship” Jamaica Plain store. J.P. Licks’ locations include Coolidge Corner, Davis Square, Mission Hill, Newbury Street, Newton Centre, West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain. The Jamaica Plain store is open at 6 a.m. every day. For more information, visit their website at www.jplicks.com.

(Editor’s Note: To arrange an interview with founder Vince Petryk or for high res jpegs, contact Steven Dubin, PR Works, (781) 582-1061 or sdubin@prworkzone.com.)