The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has unveiled the winners of its prestigious national program and specialty awards for the 2025 National Small Business Week, scheduled for May 4-10. These awards honor exemplary businesses and resource partners that have demonstrated significant contributions in government contracting, disaster recovery, exporting, small business investment, and surety bonding.
“The SBA is proud to recognize excellence among our small businesses and key resource partners,” stated an SBA representative. “As we gear up to spotlight numerous success stories during National Small Business Week, our focus remains on empowering American job creators and fostering economic growth.”
Government Contracting Awards
The SBA has acknowledged several small businesses for outstanding achievements in federal contracting:
- 8(a) Graduate of the Year: Gina Hill, Owner/President of G.M. Hill Engineering Inc., Jacksonville, Fla.
- Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year: Karen Renee Paschal, President and CEO of Conco Inc., Louisville, Ky.
- Small Business Subcontractor of the Year: Antonio Martinez, President and CEO of Renaissance Global Services LLC, Holmdel, N.J.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Awards for Excellence, recognizing prime contractors who excel in small business utilization, were awarded to:
- Construction: Glenn Sweatt, Vice President of Contracts and Compliance, Environmental Chemical Corporation, Burlingame, Calif.
- Manufacturing: Rondu Vincent, Executive Director of Supplier Diversity and Sustainability, Bristol Myers Squibb, Lawrence Township, N.J.
- Services: Lisa Tanner, Small Business Liaison Officer and Senior Manager of Supply Chain Excellence, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, Aiken, S.C.
Phoenix Awards for Disaster Recovery
The SBA celebrates resilience in disaster recovery with the Phoenix Awards:
- Small Business Award: Luis and Amy Fuentes Ruiz, Island Catering LLC, Lahaina, Hawaii
- Outstanding Contributions, Public Official: Mayor Jennifer Linam Hobbs, Wynne, Ark.
- Outstanding Contributions, Volunteer: Senior Pastor John Grayson, Gospel Tabernacle Church, Selma, Ala.
SBA Resource Partner Awards
The SBA has also honored resource partners that provide crucial training and support for small businesses:
- SCORE Chapter of the Year: SCORE Greater Seattle, Seattle, Wash.
- Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award: Angelo State University Small Business Development Center, San Angelo, Texas.
- Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award: Women’s Business Center of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Year: Veterans Business Outreach Center at University of Texas Arlington College of Business, Arlington, Texas.
Specialty Awards
- Exporter of the Year: Louis Auletta, President and CEO, and Michael Auletta, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Bauer Inc., Bristol, Conn.
- Small Business Investment Company of the Year – Established Manager: GMB Capital Partners, Minneapolis, Minn.
- Surety Bond Agent of the Year: Alicia Marasco, Vice President of Bond Operations, Capstone Risk Management Services, Las Vegas, Nev.
Upcoming Events
The SBA will conduct a National Small Business Week virtual summit, with registration details and speaker information to be announced shortly. Local events can be found by searching with #SmallBusinessWeek.
As the week draws near, the SBA will provide further updates on programming and activities through its official channels.
