West Virginia District Deputy Director Karen Friel receives national recognition

The U.S. Small Business Administration has recognized West Virginia’s District Deputy Director, Karen Friel, for a best practice improvement that has been selected for use in all of SBA’s District Offices nation-wide.

Friel saw a need for a document encompassing the necessary facts, statistics, contacts and news for the District Office in one place. This briefing book provides the essential information about the District’s mission, operations and resource partners. Because of the demand for such a product, SBA has adopted Friel’s approach as the template to be used for similar information products across the country.

“This tool has been invaluable to me,” said Judy McCauley, director of SBA’s West Virginia District Office. “I use it all the time and I can’t imagine how I ever did without it. Karen’s hard work and dedication to helping America’s small business start, grow and succeed consistently goes above and beyond. I am so happy she is being recognized for her effort on this particular project.”

“I am proud to recognize Karen for her innovative work on this project,” said Regional Administrator Natalia Olson-Urtecho. “She is truly a wonderful example of the outstanding dedication to excellence in service to small businesses that is evident in all of the District Offices throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.”