James Worthington, CEO of Kneaders Bakery & Cafe was named a silver winner in the Executive of the Year—medium company category in Best in Biz Awards 2017, the only independent business awards program judged each year by prominent editors and reporters from top-tier publications in North America.

Each year, Best in Biz Awards’ entrants span the spectrum, from some of the most innovative local start-ups to the most recognizable global brands. The seventh annual program was particularly hotly contested, with more than 650 entries from an impressive array of public and private companies of all sizes and from a variety of industries and geographic regions in the U.S. and Canada.

”It’s really all of our employees at Kneaders who earned this award,” says Worthington, CEO of Kneaders Bakery & Cafe. “I’m proud of their hard work and the delicious food and welcoming environment they create for everyone who visits.”

Under Worthington’s leadership, Kneaders has experienced a 500 percent growth rate in restaurant locations, now operating 58 stores in eight states. Worthington credits this growth and popularity to keeping standards high, ingredients fresh and providing customers with wholesome meal options. In addition to his business success, Worthington has continued with his family’s tradition in making charitable giving a priority throughout the company. Most recently, Kneaders successfully launched the Hope Fights Childhood Cancer campaign for the second year raising over $218,000 for childhood cancer research.

Since 2011, winners of Best in Biz Awards have been determined based on scoring from independent judging panels composed of prominent editors and reporters from some of the most respected newspapers, television outlets, and business, consumer, technology and trade publications in North America. Best in Biz Awards’ uniqueness stems, in part, from this distinct composition of its judging panels, allowing it to best leverage the judges’ unparalleled expertise, experience and objectivity to determine award winners. The 2017 judging panel included: Accounting Today, AdWeek, Associated Press, Atlanta Tribune, Business News Daily, Consumer Affairs, Entrepreneur, eWeek, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Healthcare Innovation News, Inc., Investment Advisor Magazine, Laptop, MediaPost, Pittsburgh Business Times, Security Products Magazine, Wired, WLRN and Yahoo Tech.