Guest commentary: Application for SBA’s Persons of the Year are still open
By Dawn Golik & Julie Clowes
Small Business Administration
For more than 50 years, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has celebrated National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. During the first week in May, the SBA honors the best of our country’s 33 million small business owners with a variety of events, activities and recognitions, including Small Business Person of the Year awards.
The SBA is looking for our next award winners and if it’s your business or one that you know has a great success story, tell us about it!
There’s still time to nominate yourself or another entrepreneur for the SBA’s 2024 National Small Business Person of the Year awards. Nominations are due by December 7th and local winners go on to compete for state and national awards
The SBA has recognized several Pacific Coast small entrepreneurs with Small Business Persons of the Year awards over the last few years
Last year, three owners of San Luis Obispo-based Precision Construction were recognized as Small Business Persons of the Year for the Central California and Central Coast region.
In May, they also traveled to Washington, DC to be further honored as the 2023 Small Business Persons of the Year for California and attended an event at the White House Rose Garden with other state winners.
They and other previous winners highlight the Pacific Coast’s long tradition of entrepreneurial innovation, excellence, and success.
If your business or one that you know has used SBA programs to start up, scale up, overcome challenges and succeed, please consider submitting a nomination for the SBA’s 2024 Small Business Person of the Year award. Required nomination forms and eligibility information can be at sba.gov/national-small-business-week/small-business-person-year.
Completed nomination packages must be submitted electronically by 4:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 7, but SBA recommends submitting early.
Packages for businesses in San Luis Obispo County should be submitted electronically to the SBA’s Fresno District Office.
Nominations for businesses located in Los Angeles, Ventura or Santa Barbara Counties should be submitted electronically to the Los Angeles SBA District Office.
Being a small business owner is not easy, even in the best of times. The last few years it’s been particularly hard, requiring grit, determination, focus, and courage from those brave enough to sign the front of other people’s paychecks not the back of their own.
But even in the worst of times, Pacific Coast small businesses are still succeeding, overcoming, growing, and finding ways to give back.
They are keeping the economic engine in the region going, and they are exactly who SBA is looking for in nominations for our 2024 Small Business Person of the Year award.
Dawn Golik serves as Director for the Fresno SBA District Office covering the 16 Counties of California’s San Joaquin Valley & Central Coast including San Luis Obispo.
Julie Clowes serves as director for the Los Angeles SBA District Office covering Los Angeles, Santa Barbara & Ventura Counties.
