Nation's Top Small Businesses to be Recognized
Winners to gather in Washington, D.C. on May 3-4 for National Small Business Week
WASHINGTON, March 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Administrator Jovita Carranza, the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration formally announced National Small Business Week, May 3-9, 2020, along with the 2020 Small Business Persons of the Year winners from throughout the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The winners have been invited to attend ceremonies in Washington, D.C., on May 3-4, where they will be honored with their individual award. During the ceremonies, the SBA will announce the 2020 National Small Business Person of the Year among the individual winners represented from across the U.S. and territories.
Administrator Carranza will start the week in Washington, D.C., where she will recognize and award outstanding small business owners and SBA Resource Partners from around the nation. She will continue the week meeting with local entrepreneurs, visiting small businesses, and holding roundtable discussions with community leaders in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Pa., Charlotte, N.C., Denver, Colo. and Anaheim, Calif.
"What an honor it is for me to recognize the National Small Business Week state and territorial winners from across the nation whose exceptional hard work has created and built successful small businesses," said Carranza. "These women and men not only realized their dreams of entrepreneurship but have also been tremendous job creators, helping to expand our economy. They represent the 30 million American small businesses – our nation's innovators and risk-takers."
Also, the SBA will co-host a free, two-day virtual conference, May 5-6, featuring educational workshops and networking. National Small Business Week recognition and educational seminars throughout SBA's 10 Regions and 68 Districts will be held during the week.
During National Small Business Week, additional award winners will be recognized for their involvement in disaster recovery, government contracting, and their support for small businesses and entrepreneurship. Awards will be presented to SBA partners in financial and entrepreneurial development, including top SCORE Chapter, Small Business Development Center, Women's Business Center and Veterans Business Outreach Center.
Details and registration information will be posted on www.sba.gov/NSBW as events are finalized.
2020 State and Territory Small Business Person(s) of the Year
ALABAMA Sridhara R. Gutti Founder and President Essnova Solutions, Inc. Birmingham, AL 35203 |
ALASKA Christina Eriksen Owner The Kindred Post, LLC Juneau, AK 99801 |
ARIZONA Peter Van Bogaert President PVB Fabrications, Inc. Tucson, AZ 85705 |
ARKANSAS Travis Daniel Bird Owner/CEO Arkansas Elite Welding Academy, LLC Quitman, AR 72131 |
CALIFORNIA Alice Chun Kao CEO/Co-Founder Sender One Climbing, LLC Santa Ana, CA 92705 |
COLORADO David Levesque Owner/Founder/Brewmaster Henry Rusch Co-Owner/Founder Launch Pad Brewery Aurora, CO 80017 |
CONNECTICUT Matthew Thomas Beaudoin Operating Member/Artisan Mystic Knotwork, LLC Mystic, CT 06355 |
DELAWARE Christopher Alan Burkhard President Placers Newark, DE 19711 |
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Christi Venable, LPC CEO/Therapist SMILE Therapy Services LLC Washington, D.C. 20019 |
FLORIDA Ryan Carter Executive VP and Co-Owner Scotlynn USA Division Inc. Fort Myers, FL 33908 |
GEORGIA Kraig Torres Founder and President Hop City Craft Beer & Wine Atlanta, GA 30307 |
GUAM Susan Biolchino President Jessie Rosario Vice President of Sales and Marketing Christopher Biolchino Vice President, Technology Graphic Center, Inc. Tamuning, Guam 96913 |
HAWAII Christine Lanning President Integrated Security Technologies Inc. Waipahu, HI 96797 |
IDAHO John Dehoff Partner Carina Dehoff Leisureland RV Center LLC Boise, ID 83716 |
ILLINOIS Molly Meyer Founder & CEO Omni Ecosystems Chicago, IL 60607 |
INDIANA Sherri Davis President/CEO Paragon Force Inc. Bloomfield, IN 47424 |
IOWA Sabetha R. Mumm Owner/Instructor Dance Vision Johnston, IA 50131 |
KANSAS Amie J. Tripp-Bristol President & CEO HMC Performance Coatings, LLC Tonganoxie, KS 66086 |
KENTUCKY Mavis Linnemann-Clark Owner/Founder The Delish Dish, LLC; Made by Mavis; Kickstart Kitchen Covington, KY 41011 |
LOUISIANA James Jerrard Moore Managing Partner Expert Maintenance & Construction Services LLC Gonzales, LA 70737 |
MAINE Nathaniel Pierce President Aaron Anker Vice President Bountiful Berry, Inc. Dba Grandy Oats Hiram, Maine 04041 |
MARYLAND Anton Che Bizzell, MD President & CEO The Bizzell Group LLC Lanham, MD 20706 |
MASSACHUSETTS Brian Geisel CEO Geisel Software Worcester, MA 01606 |
MICHIGAN Nate McFadden Owner & President Elevated Technologies Inc. Grand Rapids, MI 49503 |
MINNESOTA Paula Trenda CEO and Founder Curly Girlz Candy, Inc. Owatonna, MN 55060 |
MISSISSIPPI Vera D. Hall Managing Member/Principal Innovative Performance Construction Co., LLC Fayette, MS 39069 |
MISSOURI Kelsey M. Raymond Co-founder/CEO Influence & Co. Columbia, MO 65203 |
MONTANA Keelan James Co-Owner Brianna James Co-Owner Easy Lawn Hydroseeding LLC Belgrade, MT 59714 |
NEBRASKA Rakesh Srivastava President and Founder Innovative Prosthetics & Orthotics; Shabri, LLC Hastings, NE 68901 |
NEVADA Paul L. Sallach President All In Aviation, LLC (Skys The Limit In., Lodge Haven LLC; Double Down Aviation LLC) Las Vegas, NV 89130 |
NEW HAMPSHIRE Albert J. Letizio Jr. President/CEO A.J. Letizio Sales and Marketing, Inc. Windham, NH 03087 |
NEW JERSEY Christopher D. Finnick Chief Executive Officer/Owner Mama's Southern Style BBQ 2, LLC Vauxhall, NJ 07088 |
NEW MEXICO William A. Goodman, Ph.D. President & CEO Goodman Technologies LLC Albuquerque, NM 87109 |
NEW YORK Raj Mehta CEO Raj Technologies Inc. Plainview, NY 11803 |
NORTH CAROLINA William H. Howe President Rick Hill COO Mick Zulpo Director of Sales & Marketing Apex Instruments Inc. Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526 |
NORTH DAKOTA Charissa Rubey CEO/Sales & Marketing Executive Director Dakota Micro, Inc. Cayuga, ND 58013 |
OHIO John Christopher Rush CEO/President CleanTurn International LLC Columbus, OH 43222 |
OKLAHOMA Lisa Woodward Riley President Power of Three Investments Dba Pinot's Palette Tulsa, OK 74146 |
OREGON Shelia Kilpatrick Founder/Executive Director Discovery Gardens Childcare, LLC Portland, OR 97217 |
PENNSYLVANIA Cynthia T. Gallo President Fiber Business Solutions Group, Inc. Dba G Force Norristown, PA 19403 |
PUERTO RICO Marisol Otero Perez President Proassets LLC Guaynabo, PR 00965 |
RHODE ISLAND Harmony Oschefski Cedar Hwang Co-Owners The Bodhi Spa Newport, RI 02840 |
SOUTH CAROLINA Furman E. Burgess President/Owner Diversified Systems Inc. – Foothills Properties LLC Greenville, SC 29609 |
SOUTH DAKOTA Randy Gruenwald President Dakota Butcher Clark, SD 57225 |
TEXAS Timothy Marlo Porter Founder and CEO Appddiction Studio LLC San Antonio, TX 78247 |
UTAH Joseph Watson CEO Jen Watson CFO K9 Sport Sack Orem, Utah 84058 |
VERMONT Sean Lawson Founding Brewer/CEO Karen Lawson Chief Creative Officer Lawson's Finest Liquids, LLC Waitsfield, VT 05673 |
VIRGINIA George L. Nyfeler III, LS, LEED, AP President Nyfeler Associates LLC Richmond, VA 23220-5502 |
WASHINGTON Olga Sagan Owner Piroshky Piroshky Seattle, WA 98108 |
WEST VIRGINIA Brenda Faye Sheldon President/CEO Kimberly Allyn Eastman Co-Owner Hospitality Cleaning Solutions, LLC Hurricane, WV 25526 |
WISCONSIN Mark D. Becker Co-Founder/COO Jeffrey K. Peterson Co-Founder/CEO Geneva Supply Inc. Delavan, WI 53115 |
WYOMING Brady Lewis, PE President/CEO Jack Fritz Director of Operations Chad Reed Branch Manager Darrin Tromble Branch Manager Greg Reid Branch Manager Murray Schroeder Branch Manager Shawn Higley Branch Manager WWC Engineering Sheridan, WY 82801 |
About National Small Business Week
For more than 50 years, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America's entrepreneurs and small business owners. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year. As part of National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration takes the opportunity to highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and others from all 50 states and U.S. territories. Every day, they're working to grow small businesses, create 21st century jobs, drive innovation, and increase America's global competitiveness.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Cosponsorship Authorization # SBW2020. SBA's participation in this Cosponsored Activity is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products or services of any Cosponsor or other person or entity. All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
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Release Number: 20-23
SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration
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