Small Business Women Candice Garcia and Brandi Bodine received county honors in Arizona on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, recognizing their businesses and local work. The awards honored two Small Business Women from Graham and Greenlee counties. Garcia was named the 2026 Graham County Small Business Woman of the Year, while Bodine received the Greenlee County award.
The ceremony at Eastern Arizona College brought together finalists, organizers and community representatives. It followed Bodine’s award presentation Wednesday at the Clifton Social Club, where she could not attend. She accepted her award at the Graham County event the next day.
Small Business Women Recognized in Two Counties
Garcia owns Candice’s Creations, a confectionary business she started at home. Her recognition placed a Graham County Small Business Woman in the spotlight for a business that began there. She said she was surprised by the award and described herself as a “newbie,” despite the business’s growth. Her family’s support, she said, helped her business succeed.
Garcia also credited participating twice in the Dreambuilder program with helping her business grow and expand into catering events and a food truck. For these Small Business Women, the awards also included direct support for their businesses.
Supervisor Clay Mack praised the Graham County finalists before reading a proclamation naming October Small Business Woman Month in the county. “Owning your own business is not easy. It has a lot of trials and most of the time you have two choices — you either sink or swim. You all are here today because you swam,” Mack said.
Business Owners Describe Local Contributions
Bodine owns three convenience stores: 3-Way, Stage Stop and Mt. Graham Market. She said her favorite part of owning businesses in two counties is helping the communities where the stores are located.
“We try to make sure that our money stays local,” Bodine said. “To help all — the schools or the kids — with whatever they need up there, we try to provide.” Her comments tied the Greenlee County recognition to support for local schools and children, as she described it.
The Small Business Women awards recognized business owners while also drawing attention to the finalists and organizations involved in the ceremony. Related Her Forward coverage includes Audigy’s workplace honors.
Finalists and Awards
The Graham County finalists included Dominque, Mariayah and Trinity Bejarano of ReVive Innovations; Kym Gifford of Keyhole Properties; Sarah Henderson of Sarah’s Bullpen; Jessica McBride of Finding Sunshine; Laurie McClain of Rustic Barn Bakery; Lori Rhinehart of Daley Accounting; Brittney Rossow of Bark Avenue Paw Spa; and Maylean Taylor of Gigi’s Treasures.
Both winners received $2,000 for their businesses, $500 advertising packages from Double R Communications and trophies from Trophies N’ Tees. The ceremony featured speakers from United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties, Freeport-McMoRan and the Small Business Development Center at Eastern Arizona College.
The Small Business Women awards are sponsored by Freeport-McMoRan, United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties, Trophies N’ Tees, Double R Communications, Eastern Arizona College and the Small Business Development Center. For a separate story about women business owners building a company together, see The Famly Bizness owners. Related reading includes Uganda’s GROW grants.
Garcia’s award recognized a business that grew from a home confectionary operation into catering and a food truck, while Bodine’s honored three stores and her stated community support. The source identifies Garcia as the Graham County winner and Bodine as the Greenlee County winner for 2026.
Read the county award report for the ceremony’s full account.
