The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Seattle District Office is now accepting nominations for its 2015 SBA Washington State Small Business Awards.
Winners are announced every May in conjunction with National Small Business Week. The nomination deadline for the Washington state awards is Thursday, November 6.
To nominate a person or business for one of the following SBA Washington State Small Business Awards categories, visit the Washington State Small Business Awards webpage to review eligibility criteria and complete a brief nomination form:
- Small Business Person of the Year*
- Small Business Exporter*
- Entrepreneurial Success Award – small business that has grown into a large business
- Young Entrepreneur – under age 30 by June 1, 2015
- Family-Owned Small Business
- Financial Services Advocate
- Minority Small Business Advocate
- Veteran Small Business Advocate
- Women in Business Advocate
Nominations for the following National SBA Awards – along with the two aforementioned Washington state awards noted with an asterisk – can be made by visiting http://awards.sba.gov:
- National Small Business Person of the Year – chosen from state award winners
- Exporter of the Year – chosen from state award winners
- Phoenix Awards – recognizing outstanding accomplishments during disaster recovery
- Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year
- Small Business Subcontractor of the Year
- The Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence – recognizes large prime contractors who have used small businesses as suppliers and contractors
- SBA 8(a) Graduate of the Year – for the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program
- Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence and Innovation Award
- Women’s Business Center (WBCs) of Excellence Award
- Veterans Business Outreach Center Excellence in Service Award
- Small Business Investment Company of the Year
“Our annual awards recognition is one of my favorite programs of the year,” said Nancy Porzio, Seattle District Office director. “Celebrating the most innovative and community-minded business leaders in our state inspires me and my team to do all we can to support our local small businesses.”
Since 1963, National Small Business Week has recognized the outstanding achievements of America’s 28 million small businesses for their contributions to their local communities and to the nation’s economy. Two out of every three new private-sector jobs in the U.S. are created by small businesses.
This year, the SBA adopted a new mantra stating SBA doesn’t just stand for Small Business Administration, it also stands for Smart, Bold and Accessible in the way the agency conducts business.
