Press Release:

                   News Release
PRESS OFFICE                  
 

SBA Salutes the Nation’s Best Entrepreneurs at
National Small Business Week April 21-25, 2008

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SBA to Celebrate 55th Year with Women’s Business Centers, New Executive Panel Forums, and the Naming of National Small Business Person of the Year

WASHINGTON – The nation’s top entrepreneurs will be hailed at the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week events April 21-25, 2008, in Washington, D.C., and New York City.  This year marks the 55th anniversary of the agency, and the 45th annual proclamation of Small Business Week. 

Small business owners from across the country will be honored for their accomplishments as the nation’s leading small businesses.  The highlight of events will be the announcement of the National Small Business Person of the Year. 

“Small businesses drive our economy, creating jobs and opportunities for Americans in every community across the country,” said SBA Administrator Steve Preston.  “The SBA is very proud of the vital role it plays in enabling America’s entrepreneurs, and we are excited to be able to recognize a few of these great success stories during the week.”

National Small Business Week 2008 will begin with three days of events in Washington, D.C., at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where more than 100 outstanding business owners from across the country will be recognized.  In addition to the State Small Business Persons of the Year, men and women involved in disaster recovery, government procurement, small business champions as well as SBA partners in financial and entrepreneurial development will be honored.

A focal point this year will be a series of executive panel forums on Health Care, International Trade, Energy, and Finance.  In addition, there will be a procurement session with corporate buyers and prime contractors who will discuss small business partnering and mentoring opportunities for small businesses seeking government contracts.  

On April 24, Small Business Week moves to New York, where SBA will participate in the closing bell ceremony at NASDAQ to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Women’s Business Center program.  The program has served more than 650,000 new and growing small business owners in the past five years alone.  An awards event celebrating the top small business lenders and a financial forum on community investment, cosponsored with the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, will culminate activities in New York.
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The 2008 National Small Business Week award events will include the following individuals and groups:

• The National Small Business Person of the Year, selected from the 53 State Small Business Persons of the Year.
• The Champion Awards, recognizing both individuals and organizations for their achievements on behalf of small business, including minority, women and veteran-owned small businesses.
• The Phoenix Awards, recognizing a public official, a business owner and a volunteer whose efforts have helped their businesses or communities recover successfully from a disaster.
• The Lender of the Year, honoring financial institutions, including those that provide financing for small business exporters and inner city businesses.
• The Entrepreneurial Development Awards honoring Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers and SCORE for their innovation and excellence in assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses.
• The Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence, recognizing large prime contractors who have excelled in their utilization of small businesses as suppliers and subcontractors.
• The Gold Star Award, recognizing exemplary performance of federal staff who manage the aggressive goals and strategic initiatives that help ensure a role for small business in the federal marketplace.
• The Frances Perkins Vanguard Award, honoring government and industry for excellence in the use of women-owned small businesses as prime contractors and subcontractors.
• The Small Business Prime Contractor and Small Business Subcontractor of the Year, honoring small businesses that have provided government and industry with outstanding goods and services as prime or sub contractors.

Small Business Week award winners will meet with top agency officials, congressional representatives and national business leaders.  The State Small Business Award Winners and recipients of the Champion and other Entrepreneurial awards are nominated by local trade associations, chambers of commerce and business organizations and government agencies. 

Media outlets are encouraged to cover National Small Business Week events, and can register online.  Additional information on the Small Business Week 2008 events is available at www.sba.gov/sbw. 

Small Business Week 2008 Schedule of Events
(Note to Press: Seating is limited at all events and the events schedule is subject to change.)

Monday, April 21, 2008
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.                 Opening Reception & Entrepreneurial Development Awards
U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Reception Rooms

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.              Health Care Forum — Health Care Solutions for Small Business
                                                Mandarin Oriental, Oriental Ballroom
                                                Cosponsor: NFIB

12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.               National Awards Honoring State Small Business Winners &
                                                National Small Business Person of the Year
Mandarin Oriental, Grand Ballroom
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3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.                 Technology Forum — Going Global: Leveraging Technology to Expand Markets, Mandarin Oriental, Oriental Ballroom

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
8:00 a.m.  – 10:00 a.m.              Phoenix Awards — Disaster Recovery Award Winners
Mandarin Oriental, Grand Ballroom

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.              Energy Forum — Going Green: A Practical Approach for                                                                Small Business
Mandarin Oriental, Oriental Ballroom
Cosponsor: Consumer Energy Alliance

12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.               National Procurement Award Winners
Mandarin Oriental, Grand Ballroom

3:00 p.m. – 6:00 pm                   Alliance Partnerships with Prime Contractors
Mandarin Oriental, Hillwood Room

5:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.               Champion Award Winners
Mandarin Oriental, Grand Ballroom

Thursday, April 24, 2008
 4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.                NASDAQ Closing & 20th Anniversary Celebration for
Women’s Business Centers, NASDAQ MarketSite,
New York City

8:30 a.m.  – 4:30 p.m.                OSBDU Procurement Matchmaking Event
Show Place Arena, Upper Marlboro, Md.
For information, please visit www.fbcinc.com/osdbu
SBA Administrator Steve Preston will be a guest speaker at this event.

Friday, April 25, 2008
11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.               Lender Award Winners & Financial Forum: Achieving Returns on Community Investment,
The Westin New York at Times Square, New York City

Media Contacts:                     Dennis Byrne                            Cecelia Taylor                          
                                                dennis.byrne@sba.gov               cecelia.taylor@sba.gov                                                                          (202) 205-6567                          (202) 401-3059             
Small Business Week 2008 cosponsors include: Sam’s Club, Administaff, Raytheon, IBM, Chevron, Cisco, Lockheed Martin, Lowe’s, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Minority Business Development Agency, MyBizHomepage, Dun & Bradstreet, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, Consumer Energy, Alliance, National Federation of Independent Business, and SCORE

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

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