HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — PHE Inc., the parent company of AdamEve.com, was named University Born Business of the Year by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro, N.C., Chamber of Commerce.
On May 18, PHE was recognized at the fourth annual Business Excellence Awards (also known as the BEAs), where the Chamber awarded 10 businesses and leaders for their achievements in the greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro business community.
The University Born Business of the Year is presented to a startup business born from university research, innovation and entrepreneurial activity or a business created while an entrepreneur was enrolled as a student. The business must demonstrate excellence through job creation and economic impact.
As Phil Harvey’s 1969 master’s thesis while attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Adam & Eve become the nation’s first mail-order contraceptive business. From there, it became a thriving adult toy catalog company before transitioning into a mostly web-based adult retail business.
Today, PHE employs around 300 at its Hillsborough, N.C., headquarters, which includes a warehouse, call center and marketing department.
Harvey’s philanthropic philosophies continue to influence Adam & Eve, with the company contributing both time and money to organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the American Cancer Society, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and more.
“At the Business Excellence Awards, we recognize the very best in class throughout the community and across 25 categories,” said Aaron Nelson, president and CEO of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce. “These winners show us what it means and what it takes to do well and do good.”
PHE President David Groves said, “We are honored to receive this recognition. In 2005, PHE received the Business of the Year Award from the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce, and it truly validated our company’s efforts to be a good corporate citizen. Today, we’re thrilled to have the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber recognizes our longstanding ties to the university and the community. Everyone here at PHE has good reason to celebrate.”
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