Press release 24-16

SBA Administrator Guzman Announces 2024 National Small Business Week Award Winners

Awardees from All 50 States, DC, Guam, and Puerto Rico to be Honored April 28-29 in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – Today, SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, the voice in President Biden’s Cabinet for America’s more than 33 million small businesses, announced the National Small Business Week (NSBW) 2024 Award Winners, comprised of business owners, lending partners, and advocates who embody the grit and determination that power our nation’s economy and ensure disaster-impacted communities can recover. This year’s NSBW will take place April 28-May 4, 2024.

“Our 2024 National Small Business Week award winners exemplify excellence, innovation, and commitment, and the SBA is proud to showcase their incredible achievements and impact on their communities and our economy,” said Administrator Guzman. “Under the Biden-Harris Administration, more Americans than ever before are pursuing the American dream of business ownership and able to access more opportunities, with historic investments in communities across America in local infrastructure, broadband, manufacturing, innovation, and clean energy. National Small Business Week is the nation’s opportunity to lift up the amazing entrepreneurs, small business advocates, local partners, advisors, lenders, and investors who support America’s entrepreneurial spirit and the historic Biden-Harris Small Business Boom.”

The NSBW Award Ceremonies will take place April 28 - 29, 2024 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington, D.C.​, where Administrator Guzman will recognize the national award winners and individual state winners, and also announce the top honor of National Small Business Person of the Year from among the individual state winners. Administrator Guzman will then launch a roadshow tour from April 30 - May 3, 2024, which will bring her to Manchester, N.H., Milwaukee, Wis., Denver, Colo., and Billings, Mont., where she will be joined by local leaders to honor award-winning small businesses and discuss SBA initiatives and opportunities for the small business community. The week-long National Small Business Week celebration will also feature a virtual summit co-hosted by SCORE, mentors to America’s small businesses

2024 State Small Business Persons of the Year:

State 

Awardee(s) 

Name of Business 

City/State 

Alabama 

Shanna Ullmann, Timothy Ullmann, Robert Prescott

Transformation Partners LLC

Tuscaloosa, AL

Alaska 

Kali C Bennett

The Waterworks

Anchorage, AK

Arizona 

Austin Tsosie/Dan Riggs

Dine Development Corporation

Scottsdale, AZ

Arkansas 

Lynette West

HealthWear Corp

Jonesboro, AR

California 

Carrie A. Schmidt

B.C. Schmidt Construction, Inc.

Colusa, CA

Colorado 

Alan and Christine Herron

Achieve Sports Center

Denver, CO

Connecticut 

Maria Miranda

Miranda Creative

Norwichtown, CT

Delaware 

Amy Lord Hughes

 

Lord’s Landscaping, Inc. 

Millville, DE 

District of Columbia 

Manuel "Manny" Cosme

CFO Service Group

Washington, DC

Florida 

Yanet Herrero

KINGS Service Solutions

 Orlando, Florida 

Georgia 

Eric Williams

Unified Defense and Prince Service & Manufacturing

Byron, GA

Guam

Jessica Leon Guerrero

M80 Systems, Inc.

 

Asan, GU 

Hawaii 

Ronald B. Panzo

Nalu's South Shore Grill

Kihei, HI 

Idaho 

Jeanne McFall

RIVHAB Engineering Design

Eagle, ID

Illinois 

Jacqueline Jackson

Kilwins

Chicago, IL 

Indiana 

DuJuan McCoy

Circle City Broadcasting

Indianapolis, IN 

Iowa 

Cathy Bishop

Aggie's Inc.

Sergeant Bluff, IA

Kansas 

Dallas M. Haselhorst

Treetop Security, LLC

Hays, KS

Kentucky 

Ines M. Rivas-Hutchins

INTEC Group LLC 

Lexington, KY

Louisiana 

Iam Tucker

Integrated Logistical Support, Incorporated (ILSI, Inc.)

New Orleans, LA

Maine 

Matthew Polstein

New England Outdoor Center

Millinocket, ME

Maryland 

Rose Maria Li

Rose Li and Associates

Bethesda, MD

Massachusetts 

Stephanie Vanderbilt

Coastal Windows & Exteriors

Beverly, MA

Michigan 

Tiffany Klingensmith

Unconventional Solutions, Inc. 

Wixom, Mi 

Minnesota 

Micah Eveland; Kent Eveland

Scamp Trailers

Backus, MN  

Mississippi 

John Ruskey

Quapaw Canoe Co.

Clarksdale, MS 

Missouri 

Charlie M. Downs III

Sugarfire Smokehouse

St. Louis, MO 

Montana 

Loretta L. Bolyard, PHD

Mountain West Psychological Resources

Butte, MT 

Nebraska 

Michael Moravec, PT, DPT, OCS

Bluffs Physical Therapy

Scottsbluff, NE

Nevada 

Wanda Luna

Universal Furniture Design 

Las Vegas, NV 

New Hampshire 

Susan Borchert & Betsy Harrison 

Counseling Associates

New London, NH 

New Jersey 

Isabelita "Lita" Marcelo Abele

U.S. Lumber Inc.

Woodbury Heights, NJ 

New Mexico 

Christopher J. Sweetin

Triskelion Group of New Mexico, Inc.

Albuquerque, NM 

New York 

Aneesa T. Waheed

Bollywood Masala Corp dba Tara Kitchen

Schenectady, NY 

North Carolina 

Dylan Reid Gehrken

GREASECYCLE, LLC

Raleigh, NC

North Dakota 

Cherie Olson Harms

Leonardite Products, LLC

Williston, ND 

Ohio 

Ericka Adams

Adams Dental Assisting Academy

Gahanna, OH 

Oklahoma 

Angelene Wright

Ida Red

Tulsa, OK 

Oregon 

McKean Banzer-Lausberg, Michael Branes, Colin Rath, and Eric Banzer-Lausberg.

Migration Brewing, LLC

Portland, OR

Pennsylvania

Dorothea Spencer

D Gillette Industrial Services

Easton, PA

Puerto Rico 

Eduardo Diaz-Argimon

Baldwin Animal Hospital, PSC

Guaynabo, PR 

Rhode Island 

Brian Goldman

Big Blue Bug Solutions

Providence, RI

South Carolina 

Vickey Evans

CORG Management Group LLC

Columbia, SC 

South Dakota 

Nick & Greg Heineman

Look's Marketplace

Sioux Falls, SD 

Tennessee 

Craig Charles

Crown Cutz Academy

Johnson City, TN 

Texas 

Tamiko Bailey

Bailey's Premier Services, LLC

Fort Worth, Texas 

Utah 

Autumn McGregor

Zion's Tiny Homes 

Hurricane, Utah 

Vermont 

Kerry Boyle

Integrative Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Montpelier, VT 

Virginia 

Anil Boinapalli

Sky Solutions, LLC

Herndon, VA 

Washington 

Heather McDowell

Seattle Green Earth Cleaning

Seattle, WA 

West Virginia 

Lisa Fritsch, Peter Fritsch, Adam Leach and Chet Tobrey

Agile5 Technologies, Inc

Fairmont, WV 

Wisconsin 

Eric Rupert, Sam McDaniel, Jessica Benish

Fortune Favors

Cottage Grove, WI 

Wyoming 

Dr. Erica Higgins

Empowered Chiropractic

Casper, WY 

In addition to state-level recognition, national awards will also be presented in the following categories to the following:

Small Business Exporter of the Year: 

  • Spectrum International Group, LLC, Atlanta, GA

Phoenix Awards for Disaster Recovery: 

  • Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery: The Coffee Shoppe, Selma, AL
  • Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Public Official: Dirk Joseph Guidry, Chauvin, LA
  • Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Volunteer: Leanne Rogers Lovell, Wynne, AR

Federal Procurement Awards:  

  • Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year: Action Manufacturing Company, Bristol, PA
  • Small Business Subcontractor of the Year: Knowledge Based Systems, Inc., College Station, TX
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower Awards for Excellence - Services (for large prime contractors who use small businesses as suppliers and contractors): Jacobs, Greenwood Village, CO
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower Awards for Excellence - Construction (for large prime contractors who use small businesses as suppliers and contractors): Bechtel Corporation, Reston, VA
  • 8(a) Graduate of the Year: Johnson’s Consulting dba Cetechs, Mesa, AZ

Awards to SBA Resource Partners:  

  • SCORE Chapter of the Year Award: SCORE SE Wisconsin Chapter, Milwaukee, WI
  • Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence and Innovation Center Award: Aurora-South Metro Small Business Development Center, Aurora, CO
  • Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award: Great Lakes Women’s Business Council, Livonia, MI
  • Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Year: Mississippi State University VBOC, Starkville, MS

Small Business Investment Company of the Year: 

  • Emerging Manager:  Mizzen Capital, LP, Stamford, CT 
  • Established Manager:  Argosy Private Equity, Wayne, PA

Surety Bond Agent of the Year: 

  • Kenneth C. Turner
    KOG International, Inc., Enola, PA

For more information about National Small Business Week, visit www.sba.gov/NSBW. Media interested in scheduling interviews with Administrator Guzman should contact press_office@sba.gov.  

Cosponsorship Authorization # 24-1-C. SBA’s participation in this Cosponsored Activity is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products or services of any Cosponsor or other person or entity. All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.

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For additional National Small Business Week information visit www.sba.gov/NSBW    

About National Small Business Week 

In the spirit of National Small Business Week, we celebrate the unprecedented growth of entrepreneurship in the United States, marked by 16 million new business applications since the Biden-Harris Administration took office. This surge highlights the dynamism and innovation that America’s entrepreneurs bring to our local communities. The SBA will continue to champion the endeavors of small businesses and the vital role they play in driving economic prosperity across the nation. 

About SCORE  

SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors, is dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow, and achieve their goals. Since 1964, SCORE has provided education and mentorship to more than 11 million entrepreneurs. SCORE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).  

About the U.S. Small Business Administration 

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

Media contacts

U.S. Small Business Administration