Hoover chamber names 2020 Small Businesses of the Year

Melva Tate of Tate and Associates, at left, and Crystal Mullens-Johnson of Strive Counseling are the winners of the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce's 2020 Small Business of the Year Awards.
The Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce today honored Strive Counseling and the Tate & Associates consulting company as the winners of the chamber’s 2020 Small Business of the Year Awards.

Strive Counseling, run by Crystal Mullen-Johnson in downtown Birmingham, offers counseling for individuals and couples to address a wide variety of issues, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, anger, marital conflict, adjustment disorders, psychosocial stress, trauma and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Mullen-Johnson said mental health services have been in high demand lately as adults and children deal with COVID-19 and the many life disruptions that have occurred because of the disease.

Mullen-Johnson said she had to adapt her practice to begin offering teletherapy sessions due to COVID-19. She already had the computer software in place when the pandemic hit and just had to pull it off the shelf, so to speak. She set up and launched teletherapy sessions the weekend after business shutdowns were announced.

Mullen-Johnson also has offered free monthly webinars about mental health issues. As people deal with added stresses in recent months, it’s important for them to make themselves and their own mental health a priority, she said.

Tate & Associates is run by Melva Tate, a speaker, facilitator, certified life coach and certified human resources specialist who conducts executive talent searches and does human resource consulting, training and development, and career coaching for businesses, universities and nonprofit organizations.

For more than two decades, Tate has served as director of human resources and administration for two startup organizations, Nexcel Synthetics and Kelly Construction Co. In 2008, she went to work for herself, opening her own consulting company.

Her clients have included the United Way of Central Alabama, YWCA of Central Alabama, REV Birmingham, Birmingham Business Alliance, Birmingham Education Foundation, Alabama Public Television, Miles College, Bevill State Community College and the cities of Irondale, Jasper and Tuscaloosa.

Because of COVID-19, she lost about $40,000 in speaking engagements at the beginning of the pandemic but was able to make it up in six weeks by conducting webinars and doing speech and leadership coaching.

Tate has also offered about 300 hours of free consulting and coaching to small businesses since the pandemic began, as businesses try to figure out how to implement all the new laws and regulations related.

Other finalists for the Hoover chamber’s 2020 Small Business of the Year award were Chris White of Complete 3 Tech Solutions, Bill Ochsenhirt of Diamond Golf Cars and Derrick Ellis of Dream Travel.