A Norfolk eye doctor won the 2011 Hampton Roads Small Business of the Year award on Thursday, beating out four other finalists, including Bennett’s Creek Pharmacy of Suffolk.

The awards were presented by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon in Virginia Beach with 300 people in attendance. Congressman Scott Rigell, himself a small business owner, was the guest speaker.

“I have such deep respect for my fellow entrepreneurs, especially for those of you today who are being honored,” Rigell said.

Bennett’s Creek Pharmacy was the city winner for Suffolk and competed against four other city winners from the other four South Hampton Roads cities.

Virginia Eye Consultants of Norfolk was the eventual winner. Chris Jones, owner of Bennett’s Creek Pharmacy, praised the eye doctor’s office and said his pharmacy does a lot of business with them.

“We work with them all the time,” he said. “They just had a phenomenal story with a lot of growth in the last three years. They deserved to win.”

Other city winners included Russell’s Heating and Cooling of Chesapeake, Stealth Shredding Inc. of Portsmouth and B&T Kitchens and Baths of Virginia Beach.

The winning businesses were chosen based on business history, financial performance, staff training and motivation, community involvement, business plan, growth and customer service.

“Each of the city award winners are exceptional companies with tremendous operations, customer service, employee involvement and the accomplishment of major goals and growth,” said Jim Carroll, vice president of small business for the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.

“The judging committee felt that Virginia Eye Consultants’ operations, longevity and accomplishments were unmatched. This is an exceptional company with tremendous achievements and potential for even more in the future.”

Though Bennett’s Creek Pharmacy didn’t win the regional award, Jones said he was honored to be named the Suffolk winner.

“We were very honored to have been one of the five finalists and to represent all the small businesses in Suffolk,” he said. “I was very pleased that all of my employees were recognized for their hard work and dedication.”