FSBDC at UCF Celebrates 2019 National Small Business Week
FSBDC at UCF to Honor Clients as U.S. Small Business Administration Award Winners and Local Advisor as Regional Volunteer of the Year
May 1, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hal Thayer, Communications Director, FSBDC at UCF, 407.420.4850 or hthayer@ucf.edu
Orlando, FL – In recognition of the significant contribution to a healthy economy made by the entrepreneurs and small business owners of Central Florida and the nation, the Florida SBDC at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) is celebrating the US Small Business Administration’s (SBA) National Small Business Week with a luncheon and awards ceremony recognizing local SBA award winners.
The FSBDC at UCF’s National Small Business Week celebration will occur on Tuesday, May 21st at the 2019 Small Business Awards Luncheon, an invitation-only event being held at the Citrus Club in downtown Orlando. The luncheon will feature remarks by representatives from the Florida SBDC and the U.S. Small Business Administration who will present the following awards to the local FSBDC at UCF and state and district SBA awards recipients in attendance:
Woman-Owned Small Business Person of the Year
State of Florida and South Florida District Winner
Wendy Romeu, Founder, Owner and CEO
Alluvionic – Melbourne
www.alluvionic.com
Minority-Owned Small Business Person of the Year
State of Florida and North Florida District Winner
Courtney Powell, Founder, President and CEO
AceApplications, LLC – Orlando
www.aceapplications.com
Florida SBDC at UCF Regional Volunteer of the Year
Wayne F. Leland, Managing Partner
Nperspective – Winter Park
www.nperspective.net
“It gives the FSBDC at UCF great pleasure to honor our valued clients Wendy Romeu of Alluvionic and Courtney Powell of AceApplications as U.S. Small Business Administration Award winners as part of its Small Business Week,” remarked Eunice Choi, Regional Director of the Florida SBDC at UCF. “And we are indeed pleased to recognize Wayne Leland of Nperspective for his long and dedicated volunteer work supporting the FSBDC at UCF’s clients in our Advisory Board Council program.”
“Alluvionic and AceApplications are outstanding examples of small business success stories, each one built upon the vision, energy and determination of their entrepreneurial founders,” continued Choi. “The FSBDC at UCF works to provide consulting, business training and access to market research that allows companies like these to excel. We are gratified to have assisted them in their achievement in some small way,” Choi went on.
Alluvionic is an innovative solutions provider that services clients with any project, in any industry through project management, process improvement and engineering product design. Doing the right thing for the right reason is Alluvionic’s guiding philosophy and the cornerstone of its competitive edge.
AceApplications delivers software applications and projects for businesses and agencies. Local clients include Orlando International Airport, Central Florida Expressway Authority, Central Florida Research Park and Orange County Public Schools. Founder Courtney Powell has leveraged AceApplications success in the Orlando community with sponsorships of school programs and technical support of school technology lab additions and improvements.
Nperspective is an accounting and financial services firm of seasoned CFOs whose philosophy is to provide guidance and a hands-on approach to ensure that strategic and financial goals are achieved. They offer flexible CFO services suited to a wide variety of business needs.
“Both Alluvionic and AceApplications have built themselves from start-ups into impressive businesses by meeting the needs of their customers, employing our neighbors and serving our community, thereby contributing materially to our local economy and the wellbeing of Central Florida,” says Choi.
“And Wayne Leland of Nperspective has distinguished himself by his significant contribution to the region’s award-winning Advisory Board Council (ABC) program. As a dedicated volunteer advisor since 2007, Leland has donated 108 hours of pro-bono consulting services to small business owners across the Central Florida region. Those hours of service represent a market value of $27,000. For that and more, we are deeply grateful,” concluded Choi.
“With more than 2.5 million small businesses in Florida, we are pleased to celebrate the hard work of a few of our state’s best and brightest,” said Michael W. Myhre, CEO of the Florida SBDC Network. “We couldn’t be more proud to have so many of our clients and advocates recognized for their contributions to their local economy.”
National Small Business Week is proclaimed by the President of the United States to recognize the critical contributions made by America’s small businesses and entrepreneurs to our economy. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.
As part of National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration takes the opportunity to highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and others from all 50 states and U.S. territories. Every day, they’re working to grow small businesses, create 21st century jobs, drive innovation, and increase America’s global competitiveness. This year’s week-long celebration runs May 5th – 11th with events being held in multiple cities from coast-to-coast throughout the month of May that are designed to help small businesses start, grow and succeed.
— 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 SBDC at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) is part of the UCF Office of Partnership & Innovation 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 10 service centers across Central Florida.
In 2017, the FSBDC at UCF served over 2,450 entrepreneurs in Central Florida with consulting services, resulting in more than 5,600 jobs created, retained or saved; $623 million in sales growth; $23 million in capital formation; $32 million in government contract awards; and 71 new businesses started.
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 2017, Florida SBDCs have provided professional business consulting to 11,750 client businesses, resulting in more than 28,800 jobs impacted; $3.2 billion in sales generated; $145.6 million in government contracts acquired; $135.4 million in capital accessed; and 335 new businesses started.
A statewide network of over 40 offices, the Florida SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Defense Logistics Agency, 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
