Press release from U.S. Small Business Administration:
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) North Carolina District Office today announced the 2018 North Carolina Small Business Week award winners.
Each year since 1963, the President of the United States has designated a National Small Business Week. The highlight of Small Business Week activities is the presentation of awards at the state and national levels. The 2018 Small Business Week celebration will honor the small business community’s many contributions to the American economy and society. National Small Business Week will be observed April 29 – May 5, 2018.
The SBA has named Andrew Matroni the winner of the 2018 North Carolina Small Business Person of the Year. Andrew is CEO and owner of Queen City Catering (QCC) in Charlotte. QCC offers two main food services: gourmet, full-service catering and delivery of “express” boxed meals. QCC received a $1.7 million SBA 504 loan through BEFCOR which helped climb sales to almost $3 million and quadrupled their staff to 130 full-time and part-time employees.
Flow Sciences, Inc. of Leland, NC has been named the 2018 Exporter of the Year for North Carolina. Flow Sciences now has 60 employees, exports products to 32 countries, and has revenue exceeding $8 million. Through its expert counselors, the SBA-affiliated Small Business and Technology Development Center has been an integral part of Flow Sciences’ success. In addition, the company has benefitted from the SBA STEP program, enabling it to expand into foreign markets. Export sales have steadily increased to more than 20% of annual revenues and are expected to grow under the leadership of Ray Ryan, Curtis Howard, James Wind, and Steve Janz.
Western Women Business Center Director Sharon Oxendine has been chosen as the 2018 Women in Business Advocate for North Carolina. This award recognizes Sharon for her achievements on behalf of women-owned small businesses. Under her leadership, the WWBC has served over 2,552 clients through workshops and seminars, 302 clients through one-on-one coaching, and helped to create and retain over 300 jobs in the region.
James Prosser, Assistant Secretary for Veterans Affairs, has been named the 2018 North Carolina Veteran Business Advocate of the Year for his commitment to the advancement of veteran business ownership. Throughout his professional career in several veteran-related agencies, he has worked to increase business opportunities for veterans and to foster awareness of barriers, challenges, and successes of veteran-owned businesses.
Jane Hatley is the Western North Carolina Regional Director of Self-Help Credit Union in Asheville, NC, and has been named the 2018 North Carolina Financial Services Advocate of the Year. Ms. Hatley has been dedicated to providing extensive financial instruction and programs to encourage the flow of investment capital to small ventures. She often meets one-on-one with individual entrepreneurs to review their business plan, talk to them about how/where they might get a loan, cash flow projections, or explain the loan process.
SBA will recognize the award winners for their contributions to North Carolina’s small business community at a Small Business Week luncheon on May 3, 2018, in Raleigh.
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