DeWITT, N.Y. — The Syracuse-Upstate district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has selected the CEO of a DeWitt firm as this year’s recipient of the Veteran Owned Small Business Person of the Year Award.

Daniel Rickman, director of the SBA Syracuse-Upstate New York district office, presented the award on location to Mike Mowins, CEO and owner of Vetted Tech Inc., on May 3 as part of National Small Business Week.

The office selected Mowins for his “rapid growth and commitment to giving back to the veteran community, including creating job opportunities for veterans and employing an all–veteran workforce,” per the announcement.

Vetted Tech Inc. an additive manufacturing company specializing in metal and polymer components for the aerospace; U.S. Department of Defense; the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE); and medical markets.  

Vetted Tech Inc. is a New York-certified service-disabled veteran owned small business, per the SBA.

The agency went on to say that through Mowins’ leadership, Vetted Tech has generated consistent sales growth over the past four years and is on track to produce more than $1 million in income this year.  

Vetted Tech supplies major customers including DoE, BAE Systems, Sandia National Labs, and Raymond Corporation, SBA noted.

Mowins is a 2022 graduate of SBA’s THRIVE program and a client of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). THRIVE — which is short for Train. Hope. Rise. Innovate. Venture. Elevate — an executive-level training series designed to accelerate the growth of high-potential small businesses across the U.S.

SBDC provided guidance with business–plan preparation, helped develop the cash flow projections and financial documents, and made connections to lenders. Vetted Tech received an SBA 504 loan from the Greater Syracuse Business Development Corporation in the amount of $525,000 and an SBA 7A loan from Key Bank (NYSE: KEY) in the amount of $946,000, SBA said.