The U.S. Small Business Administration, Santa Ana District Office is proud to announce that it is now accepting nominations for its 2015 Small Business Week Awards, including the annual Small Business Person of the Year award.
SBA has been following the mantra – Smart, Bold and Accessible in the way the agency conducts business. This is now the third year SBA has been using the online portal submission process, a great and smart improvement from years past. The improved dedicated web portal http://awards.sba.gov provides all the guidelines and has made it much easier to submit and track submissions of nominees for National Small Business Week.
Since 1963, National Small Business Week has recognized the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses for their contributions to their local communities, and to our nation’s economy. For over 50 years, SBA will continue its tradition in honoring the nation’s 28 million small businesses.
SBA Awards given in celebration of National Small Business Week include the following awards (National awards may be submitted online or as a hard copy)
- National Small Business Person of the Year (chosen from among state award winners from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam)
- SBA 8(a) Graduate of the Year (for recent graduates of the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program)
- Exporter of the Year
- Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence and Innovation Award (nominations of SBA-funded SBDC Service Centers)
- Women’s Business Center (WBCs) of Excellence Award (nominations of SBA-funded WBCs)
In addition to the above categories that compete nationwide, SBA’s Santa Ana District Office will recognize winners in the following local categories:
- Minority Small Business Champion of the Year
- Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year
- Family Owned Business of the Year
- Financial Services Champion of the Year
- Women in Business Champion of the Year
Please note that applications for local awards must be submitted as a hard copy only. Nomination guidelines for the National Small Business Week Awards can be found on the awards website. Nominations for local Small Business Week Awards can be obtained by contacting Sylvia Gutierrez, Economic Development Specialist, at (714) 560-7454 or sylvia.gutierrez@sba.gov.