Small Business Person of the Year winners from 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam will converge on Washington, D.C. in May, when one of them will be selected as National Small Business Person of the Year during the U.S. Small Business Administration's celebration of National Small Business Week, May 20-22.
The participating state small business winners represent a broad range of business products, services and innovations, including a gourmet food maker from Maine, a North Carolina microbrewery, a bus-builder from Nevada, a Wisconsin dental clinic, a machine parts miller from Iowa, a trade show producer from New Mexico and 47 others from across the country.
While in D.C., the winners will have opportunities to meet with top administration officials, congressional representatives and national business leaders. The highlight of the celebration will come when one of them is named National Small Business Person of the Year.
National Small Business Week is cosponsored by the SCORE Association as well as numerous corporate and trade sponsors to be announced.
Events on the three-day schedule will be available for viewing virtually through SBA's free, live webcasting, which will be accessible at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/. Interested parties can register online at the same site, where additional information (updated weekly) is available regarding registration, awards ceremonies, small business forums and educational and matchmaking sessions. The event also will be webcast live at the web site.
Participants also will be recognized for their involvement in disaster recovery, government contracting, and their support for small businesses and entrepreneurship, and awards will be presented to SBA partners in financial and entrepreneurial development, including the year's top SCORE Chapter, Small Business Development Center and Women's Business Center.
The National Small Business Week award events will include the following individuals and groups (Others can be found at the National Small Business Week website at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com):
-- The National Small Business Person of the Year, selected from the State
Small Business Persons of the Year.
-- The Champion Awards, recognizing both individuals and organizations for
their achievements on behalf of small business, including minority,
women and veteran-owned small businesses.
-- The Phoenix Awards, recognizing a public official, a business owner and
a volunteer whose efforts have helped their businesses or communities
recover successfully from a disaster.
-- The Lenders of the Year, honoring financial institutions, including
those that provide financing for small business exporters and inner city
businesses.
-- The Entrepreneurial Development Awards honoring Small Business
Development Centers, Women's Business Centers and the National SCORE
Chapter of the Year for their innovation and excellence in assistance to
entrepreneurs and small businesses, plus awards for SCORE, SBDC and
Women's Business Center counselors of the year.
-- The Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence, recognizing large prime
contractors who have excelled in their utilization of small businesses
as suppliers and subcontractors.
