WASHINGTON
— Top entrepreneurs from each state will soon head to the nation's capital
to compete for the honor of National Small Business Person of the Year during
the U.S. Small Business Administration's National Small Business Week celebration,
May 17-23, 2009.
This year, Small Business Week will be
a three-day event in Washington, D.C., taking place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
Events can be viewed virtually through SBA's free, live webcasting, which will
be accessible at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/.
The
National Small Business Person of the Year and runners-up will be selected from
among the 53 state small business winners, including the District of Columbia,
Puerto Rico and Guam. More than 100 outstanding small business owners will be
honored, reflecting a broad range of business products, services and innovations
offered by our nation's entrepreneurs. They include a bed and breakfast owner,
Web site developer, printer, brewer, and mobility aid maker.
These
small business owners will be recognized during five major award events that will
focus on the achievements of America's top entrepreneurs. Besides the State Small
Business Persons of the Year, men and women involved in disaster recovery, government
contracting, small business champions as well as SBA partners in financial and
entrepreneurial development will be honored.
The 2009 National
Small Business Week award events will include the following individuals and groups:
- The
National Small Business Person of the Year, selected from the 53
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, two business owners
and a volunteer whose efforts have helped their businesses or communities recover
successfully from a disaster.
- The Lender 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.
- 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 government and industry for excellence in the
use of women-owned small businesses as prime contractors and subcontractors.
- The
Small Business Prime Contractor and Small Business Subcontractor of the Year,
honoring small businesses that have provided government and industry with outstanding
goods and services as prime or sub contractors.
Editor's
note: A list of state winners can be provided at your request. A complete list
of all award winners also is available on the National Small Business Week Web
site at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/index.php?pID=7&PHPSESSID=
45183a82f0fb3dfe34464cec61b44693
Small
Business Week will feature a series of forums on Energy (Going Green), Business
Financing and Social Media, designed to help entrepreneurs with current, real-world
issues that impact their business. In addition, there will be a town hall forum
to discuss small business concerns. Small businesses nationwide will be able to
view the forums and town hall via live webcast online. Also, the Small Business
Week Cyber Café, sponsored by Trend Micro, will provide free Wi-Fi to all
attendees.
Additional information on National Small Business
Week, including a detailed schedule and registration information, is online at
www.NationalSmallBusinessWeek.com.
Media outlets are encouraged to cover National Small Business Week events, and
can also register online.
The U.S. Small Business Administration
thanks the cosponsors of National Small Business Week and related events: SCORE,
Sam's Club, Symantec Corporation, Ford, Raytheon, Administaff, Visa, Sage, Trend
Micro, Lockheed Martin, Moran Media Group, Dun & Bradstreet, the Small Business
Entrepreneurship Council (SBEC), the National Association of Development Companies
(NADCO), the National Association of the Self Employed (NASE), and the Association
of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC).
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 #SBW2009
