Starting and growing a small business is a balance of risk and reward, where entrepreneurs often navigate fresh opportunities for growth as well as surprise setbacks. The greatest rewards come from taking a chance on their dreams, taking a risk on themselves, and then seeing those chances become a successful reality. Highlighting the impact of […]
Starting and growing a small business is a balance of risk and reward, where entrepreneurs often navigate fresh opportunities for growth as well as surprise setbacks. The greatest rewards come from taking a chance on their dreams, taking a risk on themselves, and then seeing those chances become a successful reality.
Highlighting the impact of these local entrepreneurs in our communities creates an increased awareness of the importance of small business in all of our lives. Every day they’re working to grow small businesses, create 21st century jobs, and increase America’s global competitiveness. Small-business owners develop deep community connections, provide the critical backbone of our economy, employ local residents, and contribute to the vibrancy and innovation of our nation.
Held annually, National Small Business Week is set for April 29-May 5 this year and hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration to recognize the nation’s top small businesses. SBA hosts national events planned in Washington, D.C., Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Locally, the SBA Syracuse District Office celebrates this week with the 20th annual Small Business Excellence Awards event on Wednesday, May 2 in Syracuse with 27 businesses nominated by our resource partners, business community leaders, and participating lenders.
Our office will recognize every type of small business imaginable, from breweries and wholesale florists to biotechnology research firms and environmental-process control manufacturers. The 2018 honorees include our Young Entrepreneur of the Year, who started her retail boutique at the age of 22 with the help of SBDC counseling, Small Business Exporter of the Year, with customers in 44 countries due in part to SBA’s exporting program STEP, and Small Business Person of the Year, shared between second-generation siblings who used SBA’s 504 loan program to help improve their manufacturing facility.
For our award winners and every small business, we will continue to do everything we can to make the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small-business owners with the resources and support they need to start and grow their businesses. To learn more about National Small Business Week, please visit www.sba.gov/nsbw.
Bernard J. Paprocki is district director for the SBA’s Syracuse district office. He is responsible for the delivery of SBA’s financial programs and business-development services for a 34-county region in upstate New York.
