Florida SBDC at UCF Announces Third Annual Small Business Excellence Awards
Business Assistance Center Serving Central Florida to Recognize 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year and 2024 Start-Ups to Watch
September 17, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hal Thayer, Communications Director, FSBDC at UCF, 407.420.4850 or hthayer@ucf.edu
Orlando, FL – The Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) announces its third annual Small Business Excellence Award program in celebration of the success, growth, business acumen, and community involvement of FSBDC at UCF clients across its 8-county region. New this year, in addition to honoring the nominees and winner of the FSBDC at UCF Entrepreneur of the Year award, the Center will recognize Start-Ups to Watch in Central Florida. This new category will highlight emerging and growing small businesses who are new to the Central Florida small business community.
The Small Business Excellence Awards Program honors local small business owners for their innovation, determination, and resilience as demonstrated in the growth of their business and by their contributions to their local communities. The FSBDC at UCF’s 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year nominees and award winner, as well Start-Ups to Watch, will be recognized at an invitation-only Awards Luncheon on November 14, 2024, at the Citrus Club in Orlando, FL. This event is sponsored by Orange County Government, Florida First Capital Finance Corporation, and SouthState Bank.
Nominations from across Central Florida will be made by FSBDC at UCF consultants to acknowledge their clients’ significant growth; their resourcefulness in overcoming the challenges presented by small business ownership; and their involvement in their communities. The 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year will be selected by the FSBDC at UCF’s Executive Board which is comprised of local small business leaders, educators, and stakeholders committed to supporting the FSBDC’s mission to help small businesses launch, grow, and thrive through expertise, resources, and advocacy.
“We are excited to shine a spotlight on our clients’ achievements through our Small Business Excellence Award program and to celebrate the nominees for the 2024 FSBDC at UCF Entrepreneur of the Year award,” shared Eunice Choi, FSBDC at UCF Regional Director. “Small businesses are the key drivers of our local economy, creating prosperity, generating jobs, and improving the quality of life in our communities. The companies and individuals we will honor deserve recognition for their important accomplishments in and contributions to the Central Florida economy and community. It is an honor to be able to celebrate them.”
— FSBDC —
About the FSBDC at UCF
Hosted by the University of Central Florida (UCF), and with its main office in the National Entrepreneur Center located at the Fashion Square Mall in Orlando, the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) is part of part of UCF’s Office of the President and the Florida SBDC Network.
The Florida SBDC at UCF provides aspiring and existing small businesses with no-cost consulting, low-cost training, and access to business data and research resources. In addition to its core service offerings, the Florida SBDC at UCF also offers specialized services to qualifying companies, including capital access, market growth, government contracting, international trade, business continuation, cybersecurity, disaster planning and recovery, and more. The FSBDC at UCF serves an eight-county area that includes Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia counties and maintains 9 service centers across Central Florida.
In 2023, the FSBDC at UCF served more than 2,800 entrepreneurs in Central Florida with consulting services, resulting in more than 10,100 jobs created, retained or saved; $743.5 million in sales growth; $59.2 million in capital formation; $122.5 million in government contract awards; and 164 new businesses started. For more information, please visit www.sbdcorlando.com.
About the Florida SBDC Network
For more than 45 years, the Florida SBDC Network, the state’s principal provider of business assistance [Fl. Stat. 288.001], has nourished a statewide partnership between higher education and economic development to provide existing and emerging small and medium-sized business owners with management and knowledge resources that enable overall growth, increased profitability, and economic prosperity for Florida’s economy.
In 2023, the Florida SBDC Network delivered 111,720 hours of consulting to 14,808 small business clients – resulting in business owners securing $346 million in capital, $576 million in government contracting, impacting 19,263 jobs, increasing sales by over $3.9 billion, and creating 1,058 businesses.
With over 40 offices statewide, the Florida SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Department of Defense, State of Florida and other private and public partners. The Florida SBDC Network, headquartered at the University of West Florida, is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs and is a recipient of the President’s E Award for Export Service. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for individuals with limited English proficiency. For more information, please visit www.FloridaSBDC.org.
FSBDC at UCF | 3201 E. Colonial Drive | Orlando, FL 32801 | p 407.420.4850 | f 407.420.4862
sbdc@ucf.edu | www.sbdcorlando.com
