Entrepreneurial Development Awards Recognize Small Business Development Center, SCORE Chapter and Women’s Business Center of the Year

The national awards were announced Monday night at a reception at the State Department in Washington, D.C., as part of the annual observance of National Small Business Week, April 21-25, 2008.  The reception was sponsored by Administaff.

“We are able to reach so many small businesses and have such a great effect on their success because of these resource partners,” said SBA Administrator Steve Preston.  “These centers reach more than 1 million people every year, nurturing their small business dreams and helping turn them into reality.  We congratulate them for their efforts.”

“The SBA resource partners we are honoring today are true champions of small business,” said Anoop Prakash, SBA Associate Administrator for Entrepreneurial Development.  “They each have helped provide the tools, the information and the support that small businesses need to become successful, and have helped to create an environment in which the spirit of entrepreneurship can thrive.”

The categories for the SBA Resource Partner Awards include the SCORE Chapter of the Year, the Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award, the Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) Service Excellence and Innovation Award, and the Small Business Development Centers Lead Center of the Year.

The SCORE Chapter of the Year Award recognizes chapters whose volunteer counselors have exceeded high standards for counseling small business clients, including expanding counseling services and programs that benefit local small businesses.  The Atlanta SCORE earned the title for posting exceptional growth in the volume of services provided to local entrepreneurs, for the success of its public outreach efforts, and for its high levels of client satisfaction.  With seven offices in Atlanta, and an office in Macon, Atlanta SCORE provided technical assistance to 11,962 entrepreneurs through counseling and workshops last year.

The Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award recognizes an SBA-supported WBC for its work on behalf of small businesses and its service to the business community.  The Detroit Entrepreneurship Institute has been creating business-development opportunities in Southeast Michigan since 1990, removing barriers to resources in order to improve its clients’ economic conditions and those of their communities.  Each year the center has surpassed the previous year’s goal of clients served.  The center’s director, Venus Brown, is herself of the Detroit Entrepreneurship Institute.

The Small Business Development Centers Lead Center of the Year Award honors an SBDC Lead Center for its leadership, advocacy, and strength in its education and training of small businesses.  The depth of service provided by this business assistance partnership of Texas Tech University and SBA rivals that of larger centers, and is a major source of technical assistance for the entrepreneurs of Northwest Texas.  Much of the credit goes to Craig Bean, himself a Texas Tech graduate.

The Small Business Development Centers Service Excellence and Innovation Award honors an SBDC Service Center for its innovation and excellence in assistance to entrepreneurs and small business owners by providing a wide variety of information and guidance.  The Massachusetts Export Center, part of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network, provides targeted, high-impact counseling, workshops, market research and international business development assistance designed to help small businesses in the state grow their export business.  The center was established by Paula Murphy in 1994, and has offices in four locations.

All Award Winners are listed on the Web at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/awards/ For details and a full schedule of National Small Business Week events – and to watch events and issue forums – on streaming video, visit 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 sbw@sba.gov. Cosponsorship Authorization #SBW2008