The leaders of Ward 8 organizations—Monica Ray of the Sycamore/Oak Retail Village and Soul of DC and Ronald Moten of the Go-Go Museum and Café—were honored by the DC Chamber of Commerce during its luncheon as part of the 2025 Small Business Summit and Expo at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest on April 15.
Ray, who received the Small Businessperson of the Year Award for her work building Sycamore & Oak and mentoring Black women entrepreneurs, said she was pleased to receive the “incredibly significant honor.”
“This award is deeply meaningful to me,” said Ray, 53. “You must invest in people with purpose and power. It is an honor that my work of many years has been validated by the Chamber.”
Moten, 55, received the Nonprofit of the Year Award on behalf of the Go-Go Museum.
“It feels good to have the DC Chamber of Commerce recognize your work,” he said. “It is always great for people who work in the trenches to be recognized because often they are not.”
Other awardees included: Calvin Hines Jr. as DC Maker of the Year; Rana Labs LLC as CBE of the Year; Fia’s Fabulous Finds as Retailer of the Year; Codice as the Small Business of the Year; Patrice Cleary as the Small Business Champion of the Year; Kathy Luu as Woman Business Champion of the Year; and Kelsey Nelson as the Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
DC Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Chinyere Hubbard said small businesses are key to the District’s economy.
“Small businesses are the cornerstone of our economy,” Hubbard said. “Small businesses truly drive economic growth. These are challenging times, and the small business honored have extraordinary stories to tell.”
