Selma again can show support for small business
Published 10:17 pm Thursday, September 3, 2015
It was only yesterday that we wrote about the Selma community coming together to lead Lannie’s to a victory in the Alabama barbecue battle.
Now citizens have another chance to help a Selma company gain some national attention.
G Mommas cookies, owned by Robert Armstrong, is one of 10 finalists in Intuit Quickbooks’ Small Business Big Game contest, where the winner will be featured in a Super Bowl commercial.
Last year’s Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots averaged 114.4 million viewers, according to NBC.
It was the most watched broadcast in United States television history.
As good as the game was, many viewers spent the next morning standing around the water cooler and discussing the best commercials. For a company like G Mommas, which has already expanded into nearly 2,000 stores, this is a chance to get noticed on the world’s largest stage.
For the barbecue competition, many in Selma did everything they could to make sure Lannie’s won. A Facebook group supporting the restaurant reached over 20,000 members and voting parties were held at local businesses to keep Lannie’s in front.
It’s going to take the same enthusiasm to help G Momma’s win this competition.
The companies G Mommas is competing against are from big markets, like San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Boston, but there’s a lot of heart in Selma and a lot of support.
Armstrong decided in recent months to bring the company back to Selma, which is where it started in 2009. When asked why, he may have said it best in an interview he did for the August edition of Selma The Magazine.
“You can start a business in Selma. You don’t have to be in Birmingham. You can move home to a small town and start a business and be successful,” Armstrong said.
He and other small businesses in Dallas County are proving those words right every day.
A win in this competition wouldn’t just be a win for G Mommas, but also a win for Selma. It would bring more positive attention to our city in a year that has already been historic.