SBA Honors National Small Business Champions

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Ten small business owners and leaders of small business support organizations were recognized today by the U.S. Small Business Administration for their outstanding support of entrepreneurs.  SBA Champion Awards were presented today in Washington, D.C., as part of the annual observance of National Small Business Week.

The winners include people like Rodney Hudson, a service-disabled veteran who served in Iraq; Keith McLaughlin, who heads SBA lending at The Bank of Missouri; John and Brendan Ready, two remarkable and innovative young lobstermen from Maine; and Robert L. Johnston, a longtime seeds man who knows that big things grow from tiny seeds.

The Champions awards were presented at the Champion Award Winners Gala, sponsored by Administaff.

“The SBA is proud to honor these men and women as true champions of small business, whose tireless efforts have provided tangible and significant support to small businesses and to their communities,” said SBA Administrator Steve Preston.  “They provide the counseling, advice and support that small business owners need, and foster an environment in which the spirit of entrepreneurship can flourish.”

The award winners are recognized for their efforts and excellence in various aspects of small business.   

This year’s Champion Awards recognize winners from California, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. For more detailed information on all the winners please go to http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/awards/69/

The winners are:

2008 Financial Services Champion

W. Keith McLaughlin

Senior Vice President

SBA Lending Division

The Bank of Missouri

Columbia, Missouri

2008 SBA Young Entrepreneur

John and Brendan Ready

Co-Founders

Ready Seafood

Portland, Maine

2008 Veteran Champion

Rodney Hudson, President

Quicksilver Analytics, Inc.

Abingdon, Maryland

2008 Small Business Exporter

Oscar Neal Asbury

President

Greenfield Worldtrade Inc.

Weston, Florida                    

2008 Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Business

Robert A. Antignano

Owner

Angelo’s Civita Farnese

Providence, Rhode Island

2008 Small Business Journalist

Ronald Ameln, President

St. Louis Small Business, Inc.

St. Louis, Missouri

2008 Minority Champion

Johnson W.K. Choi

President

Hong Kong-China, Hawaii Chamber of Commerce

Honolulu, Hawaii

2008 Women in Business Champion

Julann Jatczak

Vice President

Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation

Milwaukee, Wisconsin           

2008 Home-Based Business Champion   

Kimberly Davidson  

Owner   

MBD Marketing Inc.  

Murrieta, California

2008 Entrepreneurial Success

Robert L. Johnston

Chairman & Founder

Johnny’s Selected Seeds

Winslow, Maine

For additional information on Small Business Week 2008, including a full schedule of events and information on all award winners, go online to http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com

The U.S. Small Business Administration thanks the following cosponsors of National Small Business Week and related events: Sam’s Club, Administaff, Raytheon, IBM, Chevron, The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Cisco, Lockheed Martin, Salesforce, Lowe’s, Banco Popular, Minority Business Development Agency, General Service Administration, MyBizHomepage, Dun & Bradstreet, National Association of Development Companies, Direct Selling Education Foundation, Association of Small Business Development Centers, National Small Business Association, Federal Allies Institute, SCORE, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, National Federation of Independent Businesses, Consumer Energy Alliance, and FedSources.



The U.S. Small Business Administration’s participation in this cosponsored activity does not constitute an express or implied endorsement of any cosponsor’s, donor’s, grantee’s, contractor’s or participant’s opinions, products, or services. All SBA programs and cosponsored programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable arrangements for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least 2 weeks in advance, by contacting . Cosponsorship Authorization # 2008.