COLUMBUS — The Central and Southern Ohio District of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is now accepting nominations for the 2022 National Small Business Week awards.
“National Small Business Week 2022 provides the chance for our entire region to honor our vibrant small business community, which has played such a central role in central and southern Ohio’s continuing recovery from the pandemic,” said SBA Central and Southern Ohio District Director Everett M. Woodel, Jr. “In addition, the National Small Business Week Awards give us an opportunity to applaud the individual achievements of outstanding small businesses, and also to celebrate the invaluable participation of all small businesses in our nation’s economy.”
The SBA is now accepting entries for the following awards in Central and Southern Ohio:
• Small Business Person of the Year: The state winner will compete for the title of National Small Business Person of the Year, SBA’s signature award.
• Small Business Exporter of the Year: The winner will go on to compete at the regional level, with the winner then vying for SBA’s national Small Business Exporter Person of the Year.
• 8(a) Graduate of the Year: The winner will go on to compete at the regional level, with the winner then vying for SBA’s national 8(a) Graduate of the Year.
• Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award: The winner will go on to compete at the regional level, with the winner then vying for SBA’s national SBDC Excellence and Innovation Award.
• Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award: The winner will go on to compete at the regional level, with the winner then vying for SBA’s national Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award.
Additional national awards the SBA is seeking entries for include:
• Phoenix Awards for Disaster Recovery
-Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery
-Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Public Official
-Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Volunteer
• Federal Procurement Awards
-Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year
-Small Business Subcontractor of the Year o Dwight D. Eisenhower Awards for Excellence (for large prime contractors who use small businesses as suppliers and contractors)
• SBA Resource Partner: Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Year
• Small Business Investment Company of the Year
SBA’s dedicated website, www.sba.gov/nsbw, provides downloadable nomination forms as well as instructions, criteria and guidelines for submitting an entry.
All nominations need to be submitted electronically by 3 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2022.
The winners will be announced in early May. The U.S. SBA has hosted the NSBW awards ceremony for more than 50 years to celebrate the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs, the achievements of SBA-assisted small business owners for the contributions they have made to their communities and the nation’s economy.
