Call for Nominations

The U.S. Small Business Administration is looking for the next small business success story. If you think you have a compelling story, then send it to the SBA by January 17, 2014. Winners will be announced during National Small Business Week May 12-16, 2014.

National Small Business Week award categories include:
• Small Business Person of the Year Awards (one from each state)
• Small Business Exporter of the Year
• Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery
• Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery
• Federal Procurement Award—Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year Award
• Federal Procurement Award—Small Business Subcontractor of the Year Award
• Federal Procurement Award—Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence
• 8(a) Graduate of the Year Award
• Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award
• Veterans Business Outreach Center Excellence in Service Award
• Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award

Submit online at http://nationalsmallbusinessweek.sba.gov/, mail or hand delivered to an SBA district office as long as it is postmarked by 11:59 ET on January 17, 2014.

Winners will be honored during special events at the local and state levels to those who support and champion small businesses. Many of the winners will be invited to Washington, DC for SBW 2014.

For more than 50 years, National Small Business Week has recognized the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses for their contributions in their local communities and to our nation’s economy.

Small business owner John Stonecipher, CEO of Guidance Aviation, won the National Small Business Person of the Year Award. Stonecipher turned his childhood fascination with airplanes into a successful business. Today, Guidance Aviation has a staff of 55, fourteen aircrafts and a waiting list of students ready to take flight into their futures.As with any nomination process, make sure that you provide all information that is requested. For more information about how you can submit and the guidelines, visit http://nationalsmallbusinessweek.sba.gov/.

Story by Jennifer Taylor