Nominate Yourself or Your Clients for the 2012 Small Business Person or Champion of the Year

Advisory Date: Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Release Date: Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Internet Address: http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com

Small Business Persons of the Year and Small Business Champions of the Year

Eligibility: Nominees for small business persons of the year categories must own and operate or bear principal responsibility for operating a small business under applicable SBA size standards, in business at least three years. Partners of four our less may be nominated as a “team.” Prior awardees at the state level within the past five years are not eligible. Nominees are not required to have been a recipient of SBA assistance. Incomplete packages will not be considered. Small Business Champion category awards may be individuals or organizations dedicated to supporting small businesses. Nominees may not be nominated for more than one award category

Small Business Persons and Champions of the Year- Categories:

Small Business Person -Individual or “team”, owns, operates, bears principal responsibility
Small Business Exporter of the Year
SBA Young Entrepreneur -Must not have reached the age of 30 by June 1, 2012.
Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Business- Family-owned and operated business which has been passed on from one generation to the next. Business must have 15-year track record or more.
Entrepreneurial Success Award- Small businesses developed into large businesses
Phoenix Awards (for disaster recovery)
Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year
Small Business Subcontractor of the Year
Frances Perkins Vanguard Awards (women-owned businesses in gov’t contracting)
Dwight D. Eisenhower Awards for Excellence (for large prime contractors who use small businesses as suppliers and contractors)
Gold Star Awards (for federal government contacting)
Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence
Small Business Investment Company of the Year
Community/Rural Lender
Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award
SCORE Chapter of the Year (does not require nominations)

Financial Services Champion- Advocating to increase accounting or financial services.
Home-based Business Champion- Advocating for home-based small businesses.
Minority Small Business Champion-Advocating minority entrepreneurship.
Veteran Small Business Champion- Advancing business opportunities for veterans.

Women in Business Champion- Advancing women’s business ownership.

Small Business Persons of the Year- Judging Criteria:

Staying power -a substantiated history of at least three years as an established business with sustained expansion, addition of territories, growth in square footage occupied and steady growth in net worth over three years.
Growth in the number of employees -sustained over a minimum of three years.
Increase in sales and/or unit volume -continued growth over the last three years.
Current and past financial performance -financial reports, profit-and-loss statements, balance sheets showing consistent increases in net worth for the past three years
(not required for Champion nominations).
Innovativeness of products or services offered -specific uniqueness or niche description.
Responses to adversity with examples of problems faced and solutions utilized.
Contributions to community-oriented projects showing evidence of use of personal time and resources, including charitable causes, memberships in councils, boards and clubs.
Visit www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com for more specific criteria details.

Small Business Persons of the Year- Required Documentation

Must be typewritten on one side of 8 ½” x 11” white stationery, collated and secured in a 1½” binder. Incomplete nomination packages will not be considered. All evaluation/selection criteria must be specifically addressed. A complete nomination package will include, in the following order:

A single cover page stating--- nominee’s full name, title, business and home addresses with telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address; the award for which the nomination is being made; the nominator’s name, title, place of business, business address and telephone number and e-mail address (business owners are permitted to self nominate); SBA assistance received, if any (e.g., SBA loan, SCORE counseling, SBDC or WBC counseling or assistance, 8a program, etc.); one-paragraph description of the nominee’s business and/or professional occupation.
A completed background form (SBA Form 3300, Award Nomination Form), which can be found at www.sba.gov/nominationsguidelines.) For team or partner nominations, a background form is required from each member.
An original 8” x 10” or 5” x 7” photo of the nominee; or a digital photo at least 300 dpi; photocopies are not acceptable.
Four to five additional photos of the nominee’s company and employees at work.
A nomination letter, to include a concise statement of the qualities and performance that merit the award, not exceeding four pages.
A brief biography of the nominee, not to exceed one page.
A business profile, not to exceed one page.
The small business’ financial statements, including balance sheets, profit-and-loss statements and financial reports, not exceeding 12 pages, on 8 1/2” x 11” paper, for the last three years.
(Not required for Champion Award nominees)
Any other supporting documentation deemed significant including news clips, letters of recommendation and other evidence of the appropriateness of the nomination. Supporting documentation not to exceed 10 pages. Videos will not be considered or accepted.
A completed SBA Form 2137 Award Nomination Consent Form (www.sba.gov/nominationsguidelines.) For Exporter of the Year, package must include description of products exported and markets served.