A tangram is an ancient Chinese puzzle consisting of seven geometric shapes that can be formed into a specific shape.

Sven Schaefer changed the name of his Seven Lakes-based company to Tangram Media last year because he felt that the puzzle symbolizes the numerous options that a company faces when it comes to developing a website and social media plan.

“Essentially, we adjust the solution to the company’s needs,” Schaefer says. “It’s not just about building a website anymore. It’s about educating people about choosing the right solution or solutions.”

Tangram Media is one of two finalists for Entrepreneur Business of the Year, which is presented at the Moore County Chamber of Commerce annual banquet to a company that has been in business less than five years and has fewer than 50 full-time employees.

“Being named a finalist was a surprise, but a happy surprise,” Schaefer says. “I thought there would have been other good companies that would supercede us.”

The other finalist is Railhouse Brewery in Aberdeen, the only microbrewery in Moore County.

“We are humbled and honored,” co-owner Mike Ratkowski says. “More than anything, the customers that have supported us have put us in a position to be a finalist. It seems like it’s more of an award for them than for us. However, to be nominated and become a finalist also reinforces to us that all of our hard work has paid off.”

The Chamber will also present its Small Business of the Year award to a company that has been in business for more than five years and has fewer than 50 full-time employees.

The finalists are Morgan Miller and Town Center Pharmacy, both of Southern Pines, and Biz Tools One, which is headquartered in Fayetteville.

Claudia Miller, who owns the women’s apparel and accessories store on Broad Street in downtown Southern Pines, serves on the Chamber board of directors with Smith and is a Town Center customer.

“I feel honored to be in such great company,” Miller says. “I think it’s terrific. I am so excited about it. We’re all sort of seasoned veterans, so that’s interesting, especially since we’ve weathered the tough economy for the past three or four years.”

Mark Smith, owner of Town Center, says he never imagined ever being nominated when he bought the store on Bennett Street in 1990.

“I thought awards like that were for the big boys, so we were quite surprised to be named a finalist,” Smith says. “It’s a dream come true and really means a lot. It just makes you want to work a little harder.”

Biz Tools One may be the first business not headquartered in Moore County to be named a finalist in either category.

“It’s certainly a little surprising, but we do quite a bit of business in Moore County and I’m really fond of the area,” Wick Smith says. “Awards like this are not why you’re in business. You work hard to please your customers and do what’s best for the company.”

Smith, who will miss the banquet due to a mission trip to Haiti, adds that being named a finalist is “indicative” of how flat the world is in his industry.

“We have customers as far west as Portland, Ore., as far north as New York and as far south as Florida,” he says. “You are not limited by bricks and mortar in today’s business world.”

The criteria for both awards included innovation, response to adversity and community involvement. The banquet is scheduled for Feb. 2 at Pinehurst Resort.

Patrick Coughlin, president and CEO of the Chamber, says the finalists reflect the county’s diverse business community.

“You’ve got retail, technology, health care and, to some degree, manufacturing in the Railhouse Brewery,” Coughlin says. “It’s really an interesting mix. I was thrilled to see these folks nominated, not to mention get to the final round, because they’ve really done an outstanding job in building their businesses.”

Contact Ted M. Natt Jr. at tnatt@thepilot.com.