Jeffrey Proulx, center, accepts his award from Dallas Sutton, NBT Bank, at left, and Bernard J. Paprocki, USSBA, at the awards ceremony in Syracuse Monday.

An Ogdensburg man has been honored with a regional Small Business Excellence Award from the federal Small Business Administration and the New York Business Development Corporation.

Jeffrey Proulx and JCP Groceries, Inc., his parent company for the six Save-A-Lot Food Stores and one UPS Store he owns, were chosen based on the company’s longevity, innovation, sales growth, increased employment, ability to overcome adversity and community contributions.

He opened his first Save-A-Lot in 2000 in Potsdam and employed 15 full and part-time employees. Over the last 14 years employment has grown to 130 employees and by mid-2014 he will add two more Save-A-Lots and 40 more staff.

In some markets Proulx was able to re-hire former supermarket employees from stores that had closed.

He is a business management graduate of Canisius College. He and his wife Melissa live in Ogdensburg with their four children.

Proulx was nominated by NBT Bank, N.A.