It’s time to give some awards

There are thousands of small businesses in the greater Houston area that have operated successfully over the years. Annually, the Houston District of U.S. Small Business Administration recognizes the achievements of seven of the best of these entrepreneurs at the Small Business Awards Luncheon/ Workshops/Expo hosted by the Houston Chapter of SCORE.

This year’s event will be held on Thursday at the Westin Houston Memorial City Hotel, 945 Gessner. By attending, you will hear the stories of these prestigious award winners, participate in topical workshops on small business, visit exhibits, and network with sponsors, representatives of banks and other lending institutions, small business entrepreneurs, SCORE mentors and other SCORE Alliance Partners.

The SBA’s 2016 District Small Business Person of the Year is Denise S. Navarro, president and CEO of Logical Innovations, which offers a complete line of services to complement and enhance an existing business and new business pursuits.

Marlon Mitchell, president and CEO of Houston Business Development, will be awarded the 2016 Financial Services Champion of the Year for his work fostering the development of the Houston small-business community. Houston Business Development is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, established in 1986. As a non-bank community lending organization, Houston Business Development has served as a catalyst in providing aspiring entrepreneurs and smallbusiness owners with debt capital and access to an array of business support services to start and expand their businesses.

The keynote address will be delivered by Cesar Maldonado, chancellor of Houston Community College, one of the largest community colleges in the nation with nearly 70,000 students each semester. The master of ceremonies will be Bill Balleza, KPRC news anchor.

Before the luncheon, SCORE will conduct two small-business workshops. In one, Nick Tarte, entrepreneur, angel investor and active mentor with SCORE, will present “Crowdfunding — An Alternative Source of Money for Startup and Growth.” Learn about this increasingly popular funding option for both entrepreneurs and investors.

Also, Celina Enamorado, CEO for Business Logix/ACK Supplies and a certified local expert for Constant Contact, will present “60 Ways to Grow Your List: Ideas & Strategies for Customer & Prospect Engagement.” Learn how to capture an interested and qualified list of new contacts that are so vital to every business.

To learn more and register for the SBA Small Business Awards Luncheon and workshops, visit www.houston.score.org.