Dave Guiler wins 2024 Dothan Small Business Person of the Year award

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) – Small business is the backbone of America–and it’s no slouch in Dothan.

“Small businesses make up 85% of the chamber of commerce,” said Walter Hill, Chairman of the Dothan Chamber of Commerce. “Not only are they the driving force of our community, but they are our people.”

The nominees for the 2024 Dothan Small Business Person of the Year award included Sandi Hodge of Shute Pecan Company, Dave Guiler of Premier Entertainment Group, Reginald Greenwood of Sister’s Soul Express and Joshua Bane of Evergreen Creative Company.

“These four finalists are amazing entrepreneurs,” said Hill. “Whether they started their own business or took over a family business.”

Small businesses are the heart and soul of this city, and these four finalists represent the impact that small businesses are making.

But at the end of the day there could be one winner and that winner was Dave Guiler.

This is proof positive that persistence pays off because this was Guiler’s fourth nomination.

“Being able to get over that hump and get the recognition was nice, it was the icing on the cake,” said Guiler.

Striving to be different, Guiler brought entertainment value to Dothan.

“It started out as a DJ company and we grew to larger events,” said Guiler. “We were able to bring some really cool production value like different lights and bigger sound systems.”

The journey wasn’t always easy and setbacks like the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to think outside the box.

“We were like ‘What are we going to do?’” said Guiler. “We had a great space, camera equipment, and livestream ability. We then talked clients into bringing their events virtually.”

Getting through these rough patches wouldn’t have been possible without the area community.

“There are so many individuals in town that have poured into me,” said Guiler. “They have been an essential part of building us up.”

Guiler gave a glance at what he hopes the future of his business will bring.

“I can see some buildings with Premier Entertainment on them in Atlanta, Nashville and some bigger metro areas,” said Guiler. “But Dothan will always be home. We’re going to bring back the gold here.”

The city will continue to honor small businesses for the rest of the week.

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