A handful of independent, locally owned businesses were honored Thursday at the W.P. Carey Spirit of Enterprise Awards ceremony.

More than 800 people gathered at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa to celebrate the Valley’s business spirit and honor 10 award finalists and winners.

“It’s a tough world out there. ... I can’t think of a better time to honor entrepreneurs than today,” said Robert Mittelstaedt Jr., dean of the business school.

The ceremonies were led by Cary Pfeffer of ClearComm, and the Rev. Philip Carlson of St. Barnabas on the Desert offered a blessing. Ron Williams, president and CEO of the Grand Canyon Minority Supplier Development Council, entertained the audience with a rendition of “Proud to Be an American.”

“Being a recipient of this award validates that we are on the right track,” said Mary Jones, president of Answer 1 Communications.

The winners were Answer 1 Communications, Phoenix (Innovation in Entrepreneurship Award); Caliente Construction, Mesa (Arizona Lottery Overcoming Adversity Award); D.P. Electric Inc., Tempe (Gary L. Trujillo Minority Enterprise Award); Express Digital Solutions, Scottsdale (Special Achievement in Entrepreneurship Award); and Terralever, Tempe (U.S. Bank Emerging Entrepreneur Award).

The finalists were Elontec, Green Ideas, Scott Business Group, Orchard Medical Consulting and JSL Management, all based in Phoenix.

For more: www.spiritofenterprise.org or wpcarey.asu.edu/spirit/newsletter.cfm.