MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for the 2012 Deane C. Davis Outstanding Business of the Year Award.

The chamber and Vermont Business Magazine created the award in 1990 to recognize and honor Vermont’s best companies. It’s named for former Vermont Gov. Deane Davis.

The award recognizes a business that shows an outstanding history of sustained growth while displaying an acute awareness of what makes Vermont unique. Recent award winners include the Foley Family of Companies, Small Dog Electronics, and BioTek Technologies.

The application deadline is March 1.