SBA Small Business Week winners announced
The U.S. Small Business Administration New Mexico District Office last week announced the winners of its 2018 SBA New Mexico Small Business Week awards.
The 20 winners will be recognized at a breakfast ceremony at Sandia Golf Club on May 2 at 7:30 a.m., hosted by the SBA, the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce and the New Mexico Small Business Development Center Network, according to an SBA news release. Ceremony information and registration is available at https://nmsmallbusinessawards.eventbrite.com.
Two of the state’s winners will be honored at the national SBA Small Business Week Awards ceremony on Sunday and Monday: Jasper Riddle, president of Noisy Water Winery and Cellars, who is the 2018 New Mexico Small Business Person of the Year; and the 2018 National Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year winner, Christopher Weil, president of Weil Construction Inc.
National Small Business Week is April 30-May 5.
Other 2018 New Mexico winners are:
New Mexico Legacy Award: Debbi Moore, president and CEO, Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, Las Cruces
Entrepreneurial Success Award: Eric C. Quintana, CEO, Performance Maintenance Inc., Española
Family-Owned Small Business: Anthony D. Trujillo, president and CEO, John Santoru, vice president, HOLMANS USA, Albuquerque
Home-Based Business: Nina Yozell-Epstein, founder and director, Squash Blossom Local Food Inc., Santa Fe
Minority-Owned Small Business: Billy Ortega, president, ORCOM, Los Lunas.
Veteran-Owned Small Business: Gary D. Peterson, president, One Community Auto LLC, Albuquerque
Woman-Owned Small Business: Erin Rice, owner and manager, Sandia Acrobatic Gymnastics Academy, Albuquerque
Young Entrepreneur: Shandra Vestal, CEO and founder, Lunatek LLC, Española
Financial Services Champion: Mario LaFragola, business adviser, Small Business Development Center, Western New Mexico University, Silver City
Women in Business Champion: Carmen Martinez, center director, Small Business Development Center at San Juan College, Farmington
Veteran Small Business Champion: Jennifer L. Sweetin, president, Christopher J. Sweetin, CEO, 3D Security Training Solutions, Albuquerque
Minority Small Business Champion: Margarita Guarin, bilingual business consultant, WESST, Albuquerque
Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award: Scott Bucher, center director, Small Business Development Center, Eastern New Mexico University, Roswell
Impact Lender: Agnes Noonan, president, WESST, Albuquerque
Certified Development Company Lender: Thomas Braasch, executive director, Capital CDC, Austin, Texas
7(a) Small Business Lender: Katrina Tracy, senior business development officer, Wells Fargo Bank N.A., Albuquerque
7(a) Community Lender: Jason Wyatt, president, Western Commerce Bank, Carlsbad
504 Third-Party Lender: Greg Leyendecker, president and CEO, New Mexico Bank & Trust, Albuquerque