Katrina Manley of Spoken Interiors was awarded a Virginia Small Business and Supplier Diversity SWaMmy Award
Spoken Interiors, 2018 STARTUP Franklin Southampton winner and a local business located at 111 N. Main Street in Franklin, was honored on Wednesday, April 29 as a SWaMmy Honors Program Awardee at a ceremony at Main Street Station in Richmond. Business owner Katrina Manley was presented with her award by Commonwealth personnel as well Karl Heck, the President & CEO of Franklin Southampton Economic Development, Inc. (FSEDI).
“Our SWaM certification has added credibility and increased visibility for our business,” said Spoken Interiors owner Katrina Manley. “It has opened the door for us to compete on a broader, statewide level alongside larger companies. Through this certification, we’ve been able to provide products and services to local educational facilities like Portsmouth Public Schools, healthcare organizations such as Bon Secours, and various general contractors. These opportunities have allowed us to build strong relationships and work with larger organizations both locally and beyond,” Manley said.
“Katrina and Spoken Interior Homes are a prime example of a successful Main Street business,” said Heck. “The business has a storefront location that was originally a showroom, but morphed into a design location. More recently, it is housing a second business that incubated through the STARTUP Franklin Southampton program, Gifted Stitches. Katrina is a true community ambassador that made us proud on a Commonwealth-wide stage,” Heck added.
Spoken Interiors specializes in window treatments for residential and commercial buildings. Her motto, “Create the Look you Love” in evident in her work, which is tailored to fit the function and aesthetical aspirations of her clients. The business started in 2019 after her award of STARTUP Franklin Southampton funding, and has been a fixture on Main Street Franklin ever since then. Ms. Manley has attributed her contract with Portsmouth Public Schools for window treatments as a direct benefit of the SWaM certification process.
The SWaMmy Honors Program is a Virginia award program recognizing certified Small, Women-, and Minority-owned (SWaM) businesses for resilience and community impact. Established in 2020 by Arlington Economic Development and the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD), it highlights businesses that pivoted during the pandemic as well as businesses that have utilized their SWaM certification to open doors to new business activities.
Over 200 applicants from throughout the Commonwealth applied to receive this year’s award. Spoken Interiors was one of ten businesses selected for the 2026 SWaMmy awards, and one of only two from the Hampton Roads region (Executive Decision LLC of Virginia Beach was the other business).
Congratulations, Katrina!