REPORT FROM SBA– SBA has opened the nominations for the prestigious SBA Small Business Awards for 2013. The SBA honors continue to be one of the most competitive, comprehensive and visible awards presented to small businesses in the state. With a record of recognizing excellence in small business for more than 25 years, past SBA winners have included outstanding small companies such as Bale Sandwich and Bakery, Hoaloha Na Eha dba Old Lahaina Luau, Baldridge & Associates Structural Engineering, Akimeka, Wilson Homecare, S. Tokunaga Store, and Pictures Plus.
“SBA’s Annual Awards continues to generate interest and excitement in Hawaii with inspirational stories of innovation, creativity and teamwork and the many positive, proactive measures that small business owners and entrepreneurs are taking to sustain and grow their businesses, creating jobs and better communities,” said Jane Sawyer, SBA District Director.
“We’re also looking for those small businesses who have demonstrated the ingenuity and determination to survive and thrive through the economic downturn so previous SBA winners from 2007 and earlier can be nominated for the 2013 SBA Awards.”
The 2013 SBA Small Business Award categories include:
- SBA’s Small Business Person of the Year
- Entrepreneurial Success Award
- Family-Owned Business of the Year
- Small Business Exporter
- Young Entrepreneur of the Year
- Minority Small Business Champion Advocacy Award
- Women in Business Champion Advocacy Award
- Veteran Small Business Champion Advocacy Award
- Financial Services Champion Advocacy Award
- Home-Based Business Champion Advocacy Award
Any individual or organization may submit a nomination for an SBA Small Business Award. The required nomination forms with detailed information for each of the ten award categories can be downloaded from the web at the Hawaii Small Business Development Center Network site, https://www.hisbdc.com. The deadline for nominations to be submitted has been extended to Monday, November 19, 2012. For more information, call SBA at 808-541-2990.