Success Stories

DiamondBack Owners head to D.C. to Compete for Small Business of the Year

 

PHILIPSBURG, Pa – Winning an engineering design competition at Penn State University wasn’t enough for class-mates Ethan Wendle and Matt Chverchko. They liked their product so much; they decided to make it the foundation of a full-time enterprise. 

In May of 2003, they launched DiamondBack Covers, makers of load-bearing, aluminum truck bed covers which provide protection from theft and weather. 

Next week, Diamondback’s founder and Chief of Engineering Chverchko and the company’s CFO Ben Eltz travel to Washington, D.C to compete for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Person of the Year award during the 56th annual celebration of National Small Business Week, May 5-11.

Wendle and Chverchko began their quest at the local level, when they were chosen as the Western Pennsylvania District Office Small Business Persons of the Year. The nomination package, compiled... Read More

George Saxon Jr. Lauded as SBA’s Regional and Local Exporter of the Year

 

Perched on a walkway, cleaning large, steam surface condensers with his family’s patented tube-cleaning products is how U.S. Small Business Administration award-winning exporter George Saxon Jr. spent his college breaks. Fast-forward three decades and Saxon, who still lends a hand cleaning up corrosion, is taking the 95-year-old Conco Services Corporation international with 288 employees spanning all corners of the globe.

On May 14, Saxon, Conco’s president of international markets, will be honored as the SBA’s Mid-Atlantic Region and Western Pennsylvania Exporter of the Year. The ceremony coincides with the nation’s 56th celebration of National Small Business Week, held each May.

Not only is Saxon celebrating National Small Business Week with two awards, his company is looking to add up to 50 additional employees. “Right now, industry demand is huge,” he explained. “Field technicians go... Read More

Pizza Maker Raises Dough for Full-Service Restaurant

NEW BETHLEHEM, PA – Hoping to raise some dough for a car, Zack Blose took a part-time, high school job at a local pizzeria. Instead, it became the vehicle for his successful culinary career. 

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Western Pennsylvania District honors Blose, owner and chef at Zack’s Restaurant May 14, as Young Entrepreneur of the Year. The ceremony coincides with the nation’s 56th celebration of National Small Business Week, held each May.

“It’s pretty cool to be selected,” Blose said. “I was actually surprised I won.”

Blose’s award-winning nomination was submitted by the Clarion University Small Business Development Center where Blose is a client. His recipe for success: attending culinary school, adding a list of practical experience to his cookbook, purchasing the pizzeria where was employed a decade earlier and receiving assistance from the business counselors at Clarion University SBDC... Read More

Army National Guard Veteran Finds New Tour of DutyLending a Hand after Disasters

Ben Weaver Lauded as Area’s Veteran-Owned Small Business Person of the Year

LORETTO, PA – Ben Weaver might not be the first person his fellow citizens call after natural and man-made disasters strike; but chances are he and his 22-person crew are  very high on the list.

On May, 14, Weaver, owner of SERVPRO of Ebensburg, will be lauded as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Western Pennsylvania Veteran-Owned Small Business Person of the Year. The ceremony coincides with the nation’s 56th celebration of National Small Business Week, held each May across the country.

“It’s such a great honor,” Weaver said. “It certainly serves as a validation we are doing things right.” Weaver’s award-winning nomination was submitted by the Somerset Trust Company.

Weaver and business partner Jeff Kuncelman secured their one-truck office on wheels and sales territory with a business... Read More

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