December 16, 2014

Manchin Encourages West Virginians to Nominate Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs for Achievement Awards

Deadline for nominations is January 5th

Washington, D.C. -  U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) today encouraged West Virginians to nominate Mountain State small businesses and entrepreneurs for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 2015 Small Business Week awards and for the West Virginia’s District Office awards. Winners of the West Virginia District Office awards will compete for national titles and attend National Small Business Week activities in Washington, D.C. in May 2015. All nominations are due by Monday, January 5th at 3 p.m.

“In West Virginia, small businesses make up 97 percent of our state’s economy, creating thousands of good-paying jobs and providing the goods and services we depend on every day,” Senator Manchin said. “In the coming weeks, I strongly encourage all West Virginians to honor the great achievements of our small businesses and entrepreneurs by nominating them for one of these outstanding awards. This is a great opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to our Mountain State businesses for all they do to make our state a great place to live and do business.”

SBA is seeking national nominations for the following awards: Small Business Person of the Year Award, 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 and Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award.

To nationally nominate a small business or entrepreneur, please use the Small Business Week Nomination Portal, or send to the SBA’s West Virginia District Office at 320 West Pike Street, Suite 330, Clarksburg, WV 26301.

In addition to national awards, the West Virginia District Office is seeking nominations for the following district awards: Entrepreneurial Success of the Year, Family-Owned Business of the Year, Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Financial Champion of the Year, Home-Based Champion of the Year, Minority Small Business Champion of the Year, Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year and Women in Business Champion of the Year.

District nominations must be submitted directly to the West Virginia District Office. Guidelines and nomination forms can be found on the SBA’s West Virginia District Office web page at www.sba.gov/wv or by contacting Nikki Bowmar at (304) 623-7445 or nikki.bowmar@sba.gov(link sends e-mail).

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