As Best of the Best gets underway for 2025, our community starts buzzing — nominating your favorite people and businesses, posting on social media and, for local business owners and staff, reminding customers to consider them for the title of being the best at what they do.

For this year’s competition https://cullmantimes.com/contest-best-of-the-best-2025/#//, The Cullman Times has partnered with Rouses Market to bring you this annual celebration of local business and people that make our community such a special place to live, work, get an education, and when the time comes, depend on our local network of professional services.

We’ve learned that Best of the Best is more than just a sales promotion or social media hack, it’s a vivid reminder that Cullman County has just about any goods or services you could possible want, right here. And while day trips to (Birmingham and Huntsville) can be fun, keep in mind that it’s our local businesses that support your child’s sports team, sponsor community events and organizations and yes, even The Times. ‘Shop Local’ may be a shopworn phrase, but the sentiment behind the movement has never been more important.

This year, Best of Best has added new categories suggested by our readers. We strive each year to improve our contesting portal, marketing and promotions to help ensure that everyone is aware and actively engaged.

That’s where you come in. Getting out the vote, so to speak, is an exciting challenge and one that some businesses take more seriously than others. But that’s exactly where a competitive edge can be gained. Each year our business market changes, and there are always new opportunities; so don’t hesitate to get involved. Keep up with the contest at cullmantimes.com or better yet, subscribe and see what else is happening that you may have missed — and for local businesses, relish the opportunity to bring more business back home.