The U.S. Small Business Administration seeks nominations for the 2012 North Florida Small Business Person of the Year and several Small Business Champion awards.
Each year since 1963, the president of the United States has designated a National Small Business Week.
The highlight of Small Business Week activities is the presentation of awards at the state and national levels. National Small Business Week is scheduled to start May 20 in Washington, D.C.
“Small Business Week allows us to celebrate small business success across the state of Florida. We encourage you to nominate a small business and highlight their contribution to the Florida economy,” says District Director Wilfredo Gonzalez.
In North Florida, the SBA District Office selects the 2012 North Florida Small Business Person of the Year.
The North Florida winner then competes for state recognition and the state winner attends the national event in Washington, D.C., to compete for the national honor.
Small Business Champions of the Year award categories are for those who promote small business, including volunteering time and services to small business interests and groups. Champions may or may not be small business owners.
Award categories include:
• Small Business Exporter of the Year
• SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year
• Jeffrey Butland Family-owned Business of the Year
• Financial Services Champion of the Year
• Home-Based Business Champion of the Year
• Minority Small Business Champion of the Year
• Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year
• Women in Business Champion of the Year
Additional award categories include: Entrepreneurial Success Award, Phoenix Awards (for disaster recovery), Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year, Small Business Subcontractor of the Year, government contracting awards, SBDC Excellence and Innovation Center Award, Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award and more.
For a more detailed description of the loan categories, visit www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com or email Nayana Sen at [email protected].
Nomination packages must be received at the North Florida District Office in Jacksonville on or before Nov. 10.