U.S. Small Business Administration, Baltimore District Announces Recipients of 2012 Maryland Small Business Awards

HOUSTON, April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Baltimore District recently announced the recipients of its 2012 Maryland Small Business Week Awards and will honor the 12 winners on Friday, April 13, at an awards luncheon sponsored in part by Think Energy™, the retail electricity provider established by GDF SUEZ Energy Resources NA to serve small businesses. 

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The event, which is being supported by Think Energy as part of its recent launch into the Maryland market, will be held at Martin's West in Woodlawn, Md. Winners will be recognized across a range of categories that distinguish outstanding small business owners and the champions who support them.

Recipients of the 2012 Maryland Small Business Week Awards are:

• Janet I. Amirault, Small Business Person of the Year, Software Consortium, Columbia, Md.
• Michael Sosnoski and Kevin Sosnoski, Jeffrey Butland Family Owned Small Business of the Year, Goska's Inc., Severna Park, Md.
• Christine Lee, Small Business Exporter of the Year, PTC International, Inc., Baltimore, Md.
• Ann Furst, CPA, Accountant Advocate of the Year, Gardiner & Appel Group, Inc., Severna Park, Md.
• Nancy Greer, Women in Business Champion of the Year, Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi, Arnold, Md.
• Stanley Tucker, Minority Small Business Champion of the Year, Meridian Management Group, Baltimore, Md.
• Mary Wamsley, Financial Services Champion of the Year, Strategic Banking Partners, Inc., Gambrills, Md.
• Marc Tohir and Erin Tohir, Entrepreneurial Success of the Year, Priority Worldwide Services, Hanover, Md.
• Leanne Mazer, District Director's Unsung Hero Award, Tri-County Council for Western Maryland, Frostburg, Md.
• Jeannie Noll, Home Based Small Business Champion of the Year, Select Specialty, Lutherville, Md.
• Eddie Conway, III, Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Garry's Grill, Severna Park, Md.
• Oren Saltzman, Esq., Attorney Advocate of the Year, Adelberg, Rudow, Dorf & Hendler, LLC, Ellicott City, Md.

"We are pleased to partner with the SBA to recognize the important contributions these small business owners and champions make to our community and economy," said Deena Morgan, Vice President and General Manager of Think Energy. "Sponsoring an event like this underscores our commitment to helping small businesses succeed and to becoming the preferred electricity provider for small commercial electricity customers in Baltimore." 

The Maryland Small Business Week Awards is part of a three-tiered program conducted by the SBA. Winners from the Baltimore district who qualify will advance to a regional round of judging, where they will vie for an opportunity to move forward to a national competition recognizing small business owners and champions. 

During the SBA's annual celebration of National Small Business Week in May, winners of the national competition will be announced in the following categories: National Small Business Person of the Year, Champion Awards, Phoenix Awards, Lenders of the Year, Entrepreneurial Development Awards, Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence, Gold Star Award, Frances Perkins Vanguard Award, Small Business Prime Contractors, and Small Business Subcontractor of the Year.    

About Think Energy
Think Energy provides retail electric services to small commercial customers in Massachusetts and Maryland, with services beginning in New York, Texas, and Pennsylvania in April 2012. For additional information, visit www.mythinkenergy.com or follow Think Energy on Twitter: @MyThinkEnergy; and Facebook: /MyThinkEnergy.

Think Energy is a subsidiary of GDF SUEZ Energy Resources NA, one of the largest non-residential retail energy suppliers in the U.S.

About the U.S. Small Business Administration, Baltimore District
The U.S. Small Business Administration's Baltimore District Office works with an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations across the nation to employ a range of programs and services that promote access to capital, business development, federal procurement, and advocacy for small businesses. The organization drives economic recovery and growth by counseling and assisting small businesses throughout the state of Maryland, with the exception of Prince George's County and Montgomery County. For more information, visit www.sba.gov. 

SOURCE Think Energy