SBA Announces 2025 National Small Business Week Award Winners

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced the national program and specialty award winners for the 2025 National Small Business Week, which will take place from May 4-10. The awards recognize businesses and resource partners for their contributions in government contracting, disaster recovery, and key areas such as exporting, small business investment, and surety bonding.

“SBA is proud to recognize excellence across our small businesses and key resource partners,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “As we prepare to highlight just a few of the many success stories during National Small Business Week, we are laser-focused on our mission to empower American job creators and drive economic growth.”

Government Contracting Awards

The SBA honored several small businesses for their 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, which recognize prime contractors excelling in small business utilization, were awarded to:

• Construction: Glenn Sweatt, Vice President, Contracts and Compliance, Environmental Chemical Corporation, Burlingame, Calif.
• Manufacturing: Rondu Vincent, Executive Director, 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 recognized resilience in disaster recovery efforts 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 highlighted its resource partners that provide training and support to small businesses:

• SCORE Chapter of the Year: SCORE Greater Seattle, Seattle, Wash., led by Chapter Chair Suvendoo Ray
• Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award: Angelo State University Small Business Development Center, San Angelo, Texas, led by Director Dezaray Kathlaine Johnson
• Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award: Women’s Business Center of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, led by Director Anne Marie Wallace
• Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Year: Veterans Business Outreach Center at University of Texas Arlington College of Business, Arlington, Texas, led by Director Patrick Alcorn

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 host a National Small Business Week virtual summit, with details on registrations and speakers available on the event’s official page. Local events can be identified by searching with #SmallBusinessWeek.

As the week approaches, additional updates on programming and activities will be shared on the SBA’s official channels.

This article, “SBA Announces 2025 National Small Business Week Award Winners” was first published on Small Business Trends