SAN ANTONIO, May 4, 2017 – In partnership with the Small Business Administration (SBA) San Antonio District Office, the UTSA Institute for Economic Development and South-West Texas Border SBDC Network gathered to recognize the 2017 District Small Business Week winners for an awards ceremony at the Omni San Antonio Hotel at the Colonnade.
Every year since 1963, the President of the United States has declared National Small Business Week to recognize the important role and contributions of America’s small businesses. National and local events recognize top entrepreneurs for their achievements to include those individuals and organizations who champion small business.
During today’s ceremony, special recognition was given to SBA resource partners and community organizations for their outstanding efforts in business and entrepreneurial development.
2017 SBA San Antonio District Small Business Week Winners:
| UTSA Institute for Economic Development Award Cory Hallam, Ph.D. Chief Commercialization Officer The University of Texas at San AntonioSCORE – Counselors of the Year Bill Grosskopf Austin Chapter 249Exporter of the Year My Business Matches, Inc. Jeffrey VigilMinority Owned Business of the Year Jett Bowling Lanes, Inc. Roque Vela and Maria Del Refugio VelaFamily Owned Business of the Year Bohuslav Feed Mill, Inc. Marvin Bohumil Bohuslav7(a) Lender of the Year BBVA Compass BankSmall Business Champion of the Year Round Rock Public Library | SBDC State Star – Advisor of the Year Patrice McElfresh Senior Certified Business Advisor The University of Texas at San Antonio SBDCSCORE – Counselors of the Year Hal Brown San Antonio Chapter 164Veteran Owned Business Taurean Jeffrey Jay JaimeWoman Owned Business of the Year Labor on Demand Lucinda LealYoung Entrepreneur of the Year Luis Vazquez Photography Luis Vazquez504 Certified Development Company of the Year Capital Certified Development CompanySmall Business Person of the Year Principal LED John B. Vincent |
Hosted by the UTSA Institute for Economic Development, the South-West Texas Border SBDC Network, and the SBA San Antonio District Office, the event gathered members of The University of Texas at San Antonio, the small business community, representatives from major lending partners, economic development corporations, the Texas Workforce Commission, and the Office of the Governor.
“The San Antonio Small Business Week Awards continues to highlight the successes of the awardees and the impact of the small business community on the Texas economy. We congratulate the 2017 San Antonio Small Business Week award winners for their commitment to growth and their recognized success,” said Al Salgado, executive director of the UTSA South-West Texas Border SBDC Network.
This year’s National Small Business Week takes place from April 30 – May 6.
Photo Caption: The 2017 SBA San Antonio District Small Business Week winners gathered at the close of an awards ceremony, held in their honor, on Thursday, May 4 at the Omni San Antonio Hotel at the Colonnade. Anthony Ruiz, district director for the SBA San Antonio District Office and Lindsay Dennis, community relations for the Office of the Governor, posed at center with the awardees. The SBA San Antonio District Office and the UTSA South-West Texas Border SBDC Network hosted the event.
About the UTSA Institute for Economic Development
The UTSA Institute for Economic Development is dedicated to growing businesses, creating jobs and fostering economic development. Focused on building the economy one business at a time, the Institute consists of 10 centers and programs that provide professional business advising, technical training, research and strategic planning for entrepreneurs, business owners and community leaders. These programs serve Greater San Antonio, the Texas-Mexico border area as well as regional, national and international stakeholders. Together with the federal, state and local governments, and private businesses, the UTSA Institute for Economic Development fosters economic and community development in support of UTSA’s community engagement mission. In 2016, the Institute generated direct regional economic impact of 7,517 jobs, started 591 new businesses, $447 million in new financing, $78 million in new tax revenue and exceeded $1.4 billion in new sales, exports and contracts. For more information, visit iedtexas.org
About the UTSA South-West Texas Border (SWTXB) SBDC Network
The South-West Texas Border SBDC Network stretches for 79 counties across south, central, west and Gulf Coast Texas. This vast and diverse territory encompasses 108,000 square miles including our state’s capitol. To meet the challenge of providing services to aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs, the Network operates 10 professional staffed SBDC centers. The SBDC is funded in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), The University of Texas at San Antonio, as well as colleges and universities throughout the Network’s territory. The 29,751 advising and training clients served in 2016 represent almost 20 percent of the 148,784 employer businesses in the service area. SWTXB SBDC Network clients continue to outperform the average Texas business in sales and employment. Those clients, who represent the Network’s long-term impact, also generated more than $62 million in state tax revenues for Texas. For more information, visit txsbdc.org