Local Small Business Owners Honored during National Small Business Week May 5-11
DETROIT – While the U.S. Small Business Administration kicked off National Small Week on May 5th in Washington, D.C., small business owners and entrepreneurs around the country celebrated with local and regional events.Locally, the SBA’s Michigan District office honored small business owners and resource partners at the 15th Annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business. MCSB is the state’s premier awards program celebrating small business excellence. Over 80 small businesses, including the 2019 “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” cohort were honored during the awards dinner and recognized for their accomplishments in growth and job creation. The annual awards gala was held at the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich.
“The SBA, along with our partners, celebrates and recognizes small businesses for their job creation, innovation, staying power and contributions to Michigan’s economy,” said Constance Logan, SBA Michigan district director. “During National Small Business Week, we acknowledge their accomplishments and the small business champions that, in partnership with the SBA, have helped the small businesses start, grow, expand and recover.”
The following winners were selected because of their community contributions, outstanding growth in business innovation, financial prowess, excellent customer service, successful implementation of business practices, and delivery of training and consulting services to Michigan’s small businesses.
• Michigan SCORE Chapter of the Year: Tip of the Mitt SCORE/Northern Michigan (Petoskey, MI), Sharon Schappacher & Margo Johnson, Chapter Co-Chairs
• Michigan Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award: Southwest Michigan SBDC/Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI), Tamara J. Davis, Regional Director
• Michigan 8(a) Graduate of the Year: Andy Chiranjeevi & Radhika Kandikonda, President & CEO, KBTS Technologies, Inc. (Novi, MI)
• Michigan Women Owned Business of the Year: Adrienne Bennett, Founder/President/Owner, Benkari LLC (Detroit, MI)
• Michigan Veteran Owned Small Business of the Year: Robert Taylor, Chairman/President, Alliant Enterprises LLC (Grand Rapids, MI)
• Michigan Small Business Person of the Year: Kathleen Eberle, CEO, NPO Transportation (Southfield, MI)
• Michigan District Director Award: Shirley Ann Williams, Outreach Specialist, Bonding & Education Program Manager for Business & Workforce, Michigan Department of Transportation/ Detroit Operations & Service Center (Detroit, MI)
Michigan Celebrates Small Business was founded by the SBA, the Edward Lowe Foundation, the Michigan Small Business Development Center, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Small Business Association of Michigan, and the Michigan Business Network in a collaborative effort to showcase the collective economic power and growth of Michigan’s small business.
For more information on the award winners, please contact Hodari Brown at the SBA Michigan District Office at (313) 324-3629 or email Hodari.brown@sba.gov. For more information on this event, please go to www.michigancelebrates.biz. Media note: photos of winners are available from SBA upon request.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start and grow their businesses. It delivers services to people through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
