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Thanks to its dedicated employees and a strong set of core values, Music Makes You Happy Entertainment LLC has once again won the Hampton Roads Chamber’s “Small Business of the Year Award” for the city of Suffolk.

The Hampton Roads Chamber’s Small Business of the Year Awards ceremony was originally scheduled to be held May 7 at the Chesapeake Conference Center, but has been postponed to June 11 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Small Business of the Year Awards coincide with National Small Business Week in May, which recognizes the “critical contributions” of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners, according to a press release.

“It feels great,” owner Chris Rice said about the award, which the company had previously received in 2017. “It feels nice to look and see how Suffolk is growing with the new businesses coming in, (and) it feels good to know that we are doing our part to add to this wonderful city.”

Music Makes You Happy Entertainment LLC offers DJ and emcee services, rentals for photobooth and AV equipment, voiceover actors and specialty lighting for a range of different events. The company was founded in 2011 and currently has 11 employees, Rice said, with their headquarters on Deer Path Road in Suffolk, plus another office in Richmond.

They provided entertainment for numerous weddings in the last year, and have a contract over the next few years to provide entertainment for the North American Sand Soccer Championships in Virginia Beach, according to Rice. The company has also provided entertainment for the Newport News One City Marathon since it started in 2015.

Rice credits his company’s award-winning services to his dedicated workers that pride themselves on professionalism and who have years of experience performing at weddings, school functions, corporate and charity events, races, outdoor festivals and other special occasions.

“I’ve worked really hard to cultivate a family atmosphere, so all of the people who work for the company know that we have each other’s backs,” Rice said.

The team at Music Makes You Happy Entertainment LLC will pull together to prepare for what’s ahead of them in the coming months, as events are still being canceled or postponed in response to the coronavirus pandemic. But Rice remains optimistic, as he and his team evaluate the situation day by day.

“While some events have canceled, most have just postponed their events for later this year,” Rice wrote in an email Monday. “In addition to those events, we are actively booking new weddings and events for later this year and 2021.

“The virus has certainly put a hold to our normal business,” he continued, “but we are a strong company with a solid foundation built on a great reputation in the wedding industry and strong relationships with our corporate and non-profit partners. We will survive the storm and come out stronger on the other side.”

For more information on Music Makes You Happy Entertainment LLC, visit musicmakesyouhappydj.com or facebook.com/MusicMakesYouHappy.