The Economic Development Council of Manattee and Sarasota County holds an annual awards banquet to promote the success of local businesses succeeding on an international level.

The past few years have been particularly important as eceonomic issues have caused problems for so many businesses, both large and small. This year, Sleek Audio received the Innovation Award for their patented audio products and "changing the way people listen to music."

"After my father had been in the hearing aid business for 30 years, we decided to do something different that was fun, said Jason Krywko.

We had no idea we would be competing with companies like Bose and Panasonic.

While this was a local award ceremony. Awards were given to companies headquartered in the Manattee/Sarasota area that engaged in international business. Over 99% of Sleek Audio's business is outside their county.