Winners of the 2018 West Virginia Small Business Administration (WV SBA) Small Business Week Award will be honored during an event Wednesday, May 2, in the Robert H. Mollohan Research Center, Fairmont.
The awards are part of the celebration of 2018 National Small Business Week, April 29 – May 5.
Many of the honorees recognized by the WV SBA are clients of the West Virginia Small Business Center (WV SBDC).
“The WV SBDC team had phenomenal nominations again this year,” said District Director Karen Friel, West Virginia District Office, U.S. Small Business Administration. “The SBDC business coaches work hard to help our West Virginia small businesses and entrepreneurs and it shows in the successes they’ve achieved.”
The 2018 clients and nominees of the WV SBDC recognized as regional and district-level award winners are:
Region III Winners
Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year
Arria Hines – Allegheny Science & Technology Corporation
Bridgeport, Harrison County
Small Business Subcontractor of the Year
Jayachandra (Jay) Reddy – NextGen Federal Systems, LLC
Morgantown, Monongalia County
Small Business Exporter of the Year
Paul Diserio – American Muscle Docks & Fabrication, LLC
Wellsburg, Brooke County
Client of WV SBDC Business Coach Sharon Stratton at West Virginia University (WVU) Center
District Winners
Small Business Person of the Year
Douglas Tate – Alpha Technologies, Inc.
Hurricane, Putnam County
Client of WV SBDC Business Coach Terry Cyfers at Charleston Center
Family-Owned Small Business of the Year
Cason & Bill Edwards – RKE Corporation
St. Marys, Pleasants County
Client of WV SBDC Business Coach Marsa Myers at WVU Parkersburg Center
Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year
Michael Paul McKechnie – Mountain View Solar
Berkeley Springs, Morgan County
Client of WV SBDC Business Coach Mary Hott at Eastern Panhandle Center
Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year
Kimberly Baker – River and Rail Bakery
Huntington, Cabell County
Client of WV SBDC Business Coach Amber Wilson at Huntington Center
Encore Entrepreneur of the Year
Crista & Roger Johnson – Screech Owl Brewing
Bruceton Mills, Preston County
Client of WV SBDC Business Coach Lindsey Teets at Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College Center
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Aaron Harris – Aaron Harris Auction Services
Volga, Barbour County
Client of WV SBDC Business Coach Susannah Higgins at Upshur County EDA Center
WV Small Business Champion of the Year
Christy Laxton – Wyoming County Economic Development Authority
Pineville, Wyoming County
Client of WV SBDC Business Coach Harold Patterson at Bluefield State College Center
The awards are part of the celebration of 2018 National Small Business Week, April 29 – May 5. The SBA awards have highlighted the importance of small businesses since National Small Business Week was established in 1963.
About WV SBDC
The West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WVSBDC) is an economic driver under the West Virginia Development Office. For more than 35 years, the WV SBDC has served as the premier resource for small business creation and expansion in the Mountain State. The WV SBDC offers a variety of services from fundamental business instruction for entrepreneurs just getting started to capital access and expansion for established businesses. WV SBDC business coaches are highly skilled individuals who have professional certifications ranging from exporting, innovation, technology and economic development, to finance, management, marketing and entrepreneurship. As part of the statewide WV SBDC network, coaches can guide businesses in how to write business plans, manage projects effectively and find greater access to capital. More information on WV SBDC services is available at www.wvsbdc.com.
