FSBDC at UCF Announces Plans for 2023 Small Business Excellence Award Program

Business Assistance Center Serving Central Florida to Recognize 2023 Entrepreneur of the Year

Orlando, FL – The Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) announces its second annual FSBDC at UCF 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.

The Small Business Excellence Awards Program will recognize a local small business owner for their innovation, determination, and resilience as demonstrated in the growth of their business and by their contributions to their local communities with the designation of the FSBDC at UCF’s 2023 Entrepreneur of the Year. The award winner, as well as second and third place finalists, will be recognized at an invitation-only Awards Luncheon on November 1, 2023, at the Citrus Club in Orlando, FL and sponsored by Orange County Government, Florida APEX Accelerator at UCF and CHASE for Business. First introduced in 2022, this has become an annual event and will be the second time that the FSBDC at UCF’s Entrepreneur of the Year award will be given.

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 finalists and award winner 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.

“Our Small Business Excellence Award program is a wonderful opportunity to recognize and celebrate our hardworking clients for their growth and achievements in 2023,” shared Eunice Choi, FSBDC at UCF Regional Director. “Small businesses are crucial drivers of our local economy, creating prosperity, generating jobs, and improving the quality of life in our communities. It is a privilege to be able to honor 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 offering, 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 2022, the FSBDC at UCF served more than 2,700 entrepreneurs in Central Florida with consulting services, resulting in more than 10,600 jobs created, retained or saved; $793.9 million in sales growth; $66.7 million in capital formation; $103.8 million in government contract awards; and 160 new businesses started. For more information, please visit www.sbdcorlando.com.

About the Florida SBDC Network

For over forty 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 2022, Florida SBDCs provided 157,841 hours of professional business consulting to more than 18,379 client businesses. Based on the results from the network’s latest economic impact analysis, the FSBDC’s services resulted in almost 29,000 jobs impacted; $4.8 billion in sales generated; $381.6 million in government contracts acquired; and $528.4 million in capital accessed.

A statewide network of over 40 offices, the Florida SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. 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 2016 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