SBA Announces 2011 Small Business Award Winners!
RICHMOND, Va. – Eight people have been selected to receive awards from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Virginia District Office, at the annual Small Business Awards Luncheon in Richmond, on Friday, June 17.
The Richmond District Office territory includes all of Virginia except the counties of Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church which are covered by SBA’s Metropolitan Washington District Office. Each year the President of the United States designates one week as National Small Business Week in recognition of the small business community’s contribution to the American economy. The 2011 observance of National Small Business Week is May 16-20 in Washington, D.C. where more than 100 outstanding small business owners from around the country will be honored and the National Small Business Person of the Year will be announced.
Virginia’s Small Business Week event, to be held at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond on Friday, June 17th, will honor Virginia’s Small Business Persons of the Year along with five other award winners. Nominations for all of the awards were accepted last fall, and winners were selected by an independent panel of judges.
Those to be honored at the annual Small Business Awards Luncheon include:
• 2011 VIRGINIA SMALL BUSINESS PERSONS OF THE YEAR
Keith Nichols, President; John Nichols, Vice President; Jeffery Nichols, Treasurer
Handcraft Services and Launderers, Inc., Richmond, Va.
• 2011 VIRGINIA FINANCIAL SERVICES CHAMPION OF THE YEAR
Terry Elliott, Vice President
Virginia Commerce Bank, Manassas, Va.
• 2011 VIRGINIA MINORITY SMALL BUSINESS CHAMPIONS OF THE YEAR
Johnny Thornton, President; Lennie Thornton, Vice President
Thornton Enterprises, Richmond, Va.
• 2011 VIRGINIA VETERAN SMALL BUSINESS CHAMPION OF THE YEAR
Jack Beecher, Chief, Small Business Office
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 803 Front Street, Norfolk, VA 23510
• 2011 COMMONWEALTH AWARD
William C. Gill, Executive Vice President
Bank of the Commonwealth, Norfolk, Va.
“The individuals we are honoring on June 17th represent the finest traits of American entrepreneurial spirit and we are proud to recognize their accomplishments,” said Ron Bew, district director of SBA’s Virginia District Office, congratulating all of the award winners.
For additional information on National Small Business Week festivities, and for a list of winners, visit http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com. Additional information on the 2011 Virginia Small Business Awards Luncheon is available at www.sba.gov/va. For more information about all of the SBA’s programs for small businesses, visit the SBA’s extensive web site at www.sba.gov.
