Big honors for small business for new guy in town in Chester

Less than two years after relocating to the city from Claymont, Del., American Wood Design welcomed U.S. Small Business Administration officials to its Fulton Street facility Tuesday to accept the Eastern Pennsylvania Family-Owned Small Business of the Year award.The commercial cabinetry business, founded by Michael Gilhool Sr. in 1996, has roughly tripled its square footage, employee size and top line numbers since relocating to the 200 block of Fulton Street over the spring and summer of 2017.The firm topped out at 10 employees during their stay in Claymont. They'v enow grown to 28 Chester. Square footage went from 5,200 in Claymont to 16,500 in Chester. Revenue has grown from $1.8 million to $3.8 million.