All Entries Tagged With: "SBA"
SBA Administrator Honors Nation’s Top Small Businesses
WASHINGTON, DC – Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet, the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, announced today this year’s Small Business Person of the Year winners from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. All of the winners have been invited to attend ceremonies in Washington, D.C on May 1-2 where they will be awarded their individual awards along with recognition of the runners-up and the naming of the 2016 National Small Business Person of the Year.
In making the announcement, SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet said: “It is my distinct pleasure and honor to announce the 54 winners from across the U.S. and her territories. These small business owners represent the best of the best and showcase daily their entrepreneurial spirit and what it takes to be successful in today’s evolving and competitive business environment.”
Each year since 1963, the president has issued a proclamation calling for the celebration of National Small Business Week. National Small Business Week is set as the first week in May, and this year the dates are May 1-7 with national events planned in Washington, D.C., New York City, Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix and San Jose and Oakland, California.
“There are more than 28 million small businesses serving as the economic engine of our country, employing half of the private sector and creating two out of three net new jobs. If our small business sector was a country, its output would rank number three above Germany and Japan. I’m looking forward to welcoming these talented entrepreneurs to their nation’s capital and celebrating their stories to shine a light on American ingenuity and innovation.”
2016 Small Business Person of the Year Winners
ALABAMA
Xiomara Hermandez Bracken
Owner
Bouncing Parties, Inc.
ALASKA
Connie Core-Dubay
CEO/Owner
Cold Spot Feeds, Inc.
ARIZONA
Paul A. Smiley
President
Sonoran Technology and Professional
Services, LLC
ARKANSAS
Regina Renee Radke
CEO
Wade Stuart Radke
COO
Galley Support Innovations
CALIFORNIA
Helen Margaret Russell
Co-Founder and CEO
Brooke Jean McDonnell
Co-Founder and President
Equator Coffees and Teas, Inc.
COLORADO
Reed Howard Silberman
Founder/CEO
Ink Monstr
CONNECTICUT
Peter Newman
CEO
Victoria Newman
Executive Director
Greenwich Education Group
DELAWARE
Chris J. Bisaha
Joseph A. Baker
Co-Owners
Henlopen City Oyster House
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Robert C. Palmer
CEO
Creative Business Solutions, Inc.
FLORIDA
Sherry L. Acanfora-Ruohamaki
Owner/President
K9 Kampus LLC
GEORGIA
Catherine A. Downey
CEO
CATVIDEO, Inc.
GUAM
David J. John
President
ASC Trust Corporation
HAWAII
Raymond Jardine Jr.
Chairman & CEO
Native Hawaiian Veterans, LLC
IDAHO
Enrique F. Contreras
Ana M. Paz
Owners
Conpaz Inc. dba Enrique’s Mexican Restaurant
ILLINOIS
Dwayne Steven Jackson
President & CEO
Software Tech Enterprises, Inc.
INDIANA
Baziel W. Vrient
President
Albert W. Vrient
Operations Manager
Agdia, Inc.
IOWA
Anthony D. Halsted
Owner
Hoover’s Hatchery Co., LLC
KANSAS
Roger Lee Ward III
Dana Marie Ward
Owners
Great Day Moving (Marathon Moving
& Delivery LLC)
KENTUCKY
David Allen Dafoe
Founder/CEO
8th Street Ventures
Dba Flavorman, dba Distilled Spirits
Epicenter, Dba Pro-Liquitech
LOUISIANA
Angela O’Byrne
President/Owner
Perez, APC
MAINE
Margo Walsh
Owner
Maine Works LLC
MARYLAND
Patrick Babasola Munis
CEO
NewWave Telecom & Technologies, Inc.
MASSACHUSETTS
Robert Jacob George
Founder, President and CEO
StratComm, Inc.
MICHIGAN
Russell Beaver
President
RB Construction Company
MINNESOTA
Gloria Jean Freeman
CEO
Olu’s Home/Olu’s Center
MISSISSIPPI
Mike Pornovets
Owner
Everything Kayak LLC
MISSOURI
David Laurence Bailey
Founder & President
Baileys’ Restaurants
MONTANA
Greg Thayer
CEO
Eugene Thayer
Director
Montana Merchandising, Inc.
Dba Montana Milling, Inc.
NEBRASKA
Yolanda F. Diaz
Member/Owner
Little Miss Fashion LLC
NEVADA
Bradley J. Burdsall
Owner and Operator
The Egg Works
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Elie El-Chalfoun
Owner/Operator
Mega-X
NEW JERSEY
Charles Olivo
Founder and Principal
Stonefield Engineering and Design LLC
NEW MEXICO
Karl S. Halpert
President & CEO
Private Label Select Ltd. Co.
NEW YORK
Tammy Ann Loewy
Wynde Kate Reese
Owners
Green Goddess Foods LLC
NORTH CAROLINA
Charles Ashton Creech
President
Thomas Howard Chappell
Vice President – Maintenance
Plus Team
NS Aviation, LLC dba North State Aviation
NORTH DAKOTA
Jon Simmers
CEO
Bismarck Aero Center
OHIO
Sally Hughes
CEO
Caster Connection
OKLAHOMA
Ellis “Lanny” McIntosh
Founding Principal, CEO
The McIntosh Group
OREGON
Jeremy Murfin
Geoff Mets
Johnpaul Simonet
Owners/Members
5.S.G. LLC dba Five Star Guitars
PENNSYLVANIA
Dr. Wei-Shin Lai
Chief Executive Officer
AcousticSheep LLC
PUERTO RICO
Fernando J. Rodriguez
President
Prime Janitorial Service Corp.
RHODE ISLAND
Thomas Parsons Kellogg III
President
Parsons Kellogg LLC
SOUTH CAROLINA
JoAnne Laurea LaBounty
President
Spartanburg Meat Processing Co., Inc.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Janet R. Eining
Owner
Cellular Only Connection, Inc.
TENNESSEE
Terence Andrew Douglas
President
Alliant Corporation
TEXAS
Yolanda Arriola
President and CEO
Southwest University at El Paso
UTAH
Jay Benjamin Broadbent
President
Alpine Home Medical Equipment LLC
VERMONT
Thomas M.L. Stearns
President
High Mowing Organic Seeds
VIRGIN ISLANDS
Brianne B. Beatty
Ryan B. Skinner
Owners
Flagship, LLC
VIRGINIA
Caroline Anne Taylor
RN-President
Taylor Made Diagnostics, Inc.
WASHINGTON
James “Kiwi” Ferris
President
Edensaw Woods, Ltd.
WEST VIRGINIA
Arria Hines
President & CEO
Allegheny Science & Technology Corp.
WISCONSIN
Mark Matthiae
CEO
Crystal Finishing Systems, Inc.
WYOMING
Anthony Andrew Aguiree
President
Triple A Building Services, Inc.
U.S. Small Business Administration to Host “Meet the Lenders” Matchmaker Fair
PROVIDENCE, RI – Small business owners seeking financing for their firms will have the opportunity to meet representatives from SBA participating lenders during a Meet the Lenders Matchmaker Fair. The event will be held at the Warwick Public Library on Tuesday, December 15 from 10:00a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Registered small business owners will be scheduled for 15-minute, one-on-one meetings with loan officers, who will discuss financial needs and the options available. Business owners will be given the opportunity to pre-select desired meetings from a list of participating lenders.
Participating lenders include: Acción, BankNewport, Bay Colony Development Corp, Community Investment Corp, Greenwood Credit Union, Home Loan Investment Bank, Navigant Credit Union, Ocean State Business Development Authority, Pawtucket Credit Union, the South Eastern Economic Development Corporation, Webster Bank, and the Rhode Island Black Business Association (RIBBA).
In order to register for the event, business owners must verify that they have a completed business plan. SBA staff and resource partner representatives will also be on hand to meet with attendees to discuss their services.
Pre-registration is required for this event. For more information and to obtain registration materials, contact Matthew Spoehr at the SBA Rhode Island District Office at (401) 528-4574 or email matthew.spoehr@sba.gov .
SBA Now Accepting 2016 National Small Business Week Awards Nominations
RHODE ISLAND – The U.S. Small Business Administration is now accepting nominations for its 2016 National Small Business Week Awards, including the annual Small Business Person of the Year. Since 1963, National Small Business Week has recognized the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses for their contributions to their local communities, and to our nation’s economy.
The dedicated website http://awards.sba.gov provides criteria and guidelines for submitting a nomination. For 2016, the nomination criteria have been streamlined and simplified. In years past there were multiple forms, letters and documents required; now the nominees are only required to submit one form and questionnaire.
SBA Awards given in celebration of National Small Business Week, May 2-6, 2016, include the following:
- Small Business Person of the Year
- One from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.
- Exporter of the Year
- Phoenix Awards for Disaster Recovery
- Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery
- Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Public Official
- Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Volunteer
- Federal Procurement Awards
- Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year
- Small Business Subcontractor of the Year
- Dwight D. Eisenhower Awards for Excellence (for large prime contractors who use small businesses as suppliers and contractors)
- 8(a) Graduate of the Year
- Jody C. Raskind Lender of the Year
- Small Business Investment Company of the Year
- Awards to SBA Resource Partners
- Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence and Innovation Center Award
- Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award
- Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Year
All nominations must be submitted no later than 3 p.m. EST, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. In addition to the website, nominations can also be sent directly to an SBA District Office – for contact information and other District Office information visit online at http://www.sba.gov/districtoffices.
