Cordele — Stripling’s General Store was named a finalist in the recent Georgia Family Business of the Year competition in the Small Category (fewer than 50 employees).

“Our sausage is a unique, original product on which we have built a successful business,” said company spokesman Ashley Goss. “It is the backbone of Stripling’s operations. Our hot hog country sausage was formulated around or before 1964. The recipe for the sausage has not changed in over 45 years. Our reputation, our brand recognition, our business has been built around this single product. We are extremely proud of it!”

Most recently Stripling’s acquired a federally inspected processing facility which has allowed them ship their sausage, jerky and other specialty items all over the United States, sell wholesale and manufacture for third party entities. They have also begun shipping jerky directly overseas to APO/FPO addresses.

While the sausage recipe hasn’t changed, the method for delivering it has. In addition to the growing mail order business handled in Moultrie, Stripling’s has two retail outlets in Cordele. The three together handle more than 300,000 pounds of sausage a year.

As part of the selection process, Goss said, the company had to answer questions about family dynamics both within and outside the business.

“The judges were looking for a well-rounded and successful company as well as a business where leadership has been passed to at least the second generation; multiple family members working in the company or on the board of the company and owning the business; civic, societal and industry contributions,” she said.

"The past year has been tough on all businesses," said Joe Astrachan, executive director of the Cox Family Enterprise Center. "But family-owned firms have done better overall than most businesses. In this year's awards, we honor companies that have withstood the test of time and have done exceptionally well in a difficult economy."

Stripling’s averages around 40-45 employees with five of those being family members. Ricky and Lisa Hardin own the company; their daughters, Lindsay Fernandez and Goss, and their son-in-law, Clint Goss, are also employed there. Jack and Ann Hardin (Ricky’s parents) recently retired from the operations of the company.

In 2001, Ricky was named as Grocer of the Year by the Georgia Food Industry Association. Stripling’s jerky has been recognized by Food and Wine Magazine as “One of the Top Ten Test Kitchen Discoveries” in 2006. The store has been featured on Paula’s Home Cooking as part of Paula Deen’s Food Network program. Also, Stripling’s Apple Cinnamon BBQ has been named as a finalist in the Flavor of Georgia Contest for two years.

Other winners in the Georgia Family Business of the Year contest were:

• Cox Century Award, Glover Foods of Americus.

• Large Business (250 or more employees), Butler Automotive Group of Macon (winner) and finalists, Bennett International Group of McDonough and Ed Voyles Automotive Group of Marietta.

• Medium Business (50-250 employees), N.A. Williams Company of Atlanta (winner), and finalists Benning Construction Company of Smyrna, Mercier Orchards of Blue Ridge and Repro Products of Smyrna.

• Small Business (fewer than 50 employees), Jones Wynn Funeral Home of Douglas (winner), and finalists CCA&B of Kennesaw and Stripling’s General Store of Cordele.

Founded in 1987, the Cox Family Enterprise Center is the largest and second-oldest center of its kind in the United States today. It began the Georgia Family Business of the Year competition in 1991.