SBA Honors Nation's Top Small Businesses

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.

SBA Small Business Awards

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.

The Gold Star Award, recognizing exemplary performance of federal staff who manage the aggressive goals and strategic initiatives that help ensure a role for small business in the federal marketplace.

The Frances Perkins Vanguard Award, honoring industry for excellence in the use of women-owned small businesses as prime contractors and subcontractors.

The Small Business Prime Contractors and Small Business Subcontractor of the Years, honoring small businesses that have provided government and industry with outstanding goods and services as prime or subcontractors.

NOTE: A complete list of all award winners will be available on the National Small Business Week Web site at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com

Small Business Week 2012 sponsors and cosponsors include: the Association of Small Business Development Centers, the InterContinental Hotel Group, Lockheed Martin, the National Association of Development Companies, the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders, the National Association for the Self-Employed, Northrup Grumman, Office Depot, Paychex, Raytheon, SCORE, the Small Business Investor Alliance, VISA, and Women Impacting Public Policy.

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s participation in this cosponsored activity does not constitute an express or implied endorsement of any cosponsor’s, donor’s, grantee’s, contractor’s or participant’s opinions, products, or services. All SBA programs and cosponsored programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable arrangements for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least 2 weeks in advance, by contacting sbw@sba.gov. Cosponsorship Authorization #SBW2012.