FSBDC at UCF Celebrates 2026 National Small Business Week
FSBDC at UCF Honors U.S. Small Business Administration Award Winners, Including Being Named National SBDC of the Year
Orlando, FL – In recognition of the significant contributions to a healthy economy made by the entrepreneurs and small business owners of Central Florida and the nation, the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) celebrated the U.S. 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 was held on Thursday, May 28th at the 2026 Small Business Awards Luncheon at the Citrus Club in downtown Orlando. Sponsored by Florida First Capital Finance Corporation, Regions Bank, and SouthState Bank as Gold Sponsors, and Cogent Bank as Silver Sponsor, the luncheon featured remarks by representatives from the Florida SBDC and the U.S. Small Business Administration who presented the following awards to FSBDC at UCF and state and district SBA awards recipients:
Small Business Development Center of the Year /
Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence and Innovation Center Award
2026 National Award Winner
Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida
Eunice Choi, Regional Director
www.sbdcorlando.com
Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year
2026 State of Florida & SBA North Florida District Winner
Barbara Parham, Founder and CEO
Artistic Talent Group – Orlando
www.artistictalentgroup.com
Blue Collar Small Business of the Year
2026 State of Florida & SBA North Florida District Winner
Lyle Cummings, President
Hotspray Industrial Coatings – Orlando
www.hotspray.com
Regional Volunteer of the Year
2026 Central Florida / Florida SBDC at UCF Winner
Dick Quint, Business Advisor
Strategic Insights HQ – Orlando
www.strategicinsightshq.com
Regional Resource Partner of the Year
2026 Central Florida / Florida SBDC at UCF Winner
Jose ‘Ed’ Ramos, Senior Area Manager
U.S. Small Business Administration – Orlando
www.sba.gov
“It is with great pleasure that the FSBDC at UCF honors our valued clients Barbara Parham of Artistic Talent Group and Lyle Cummings of Hotspray Industrial Coatings 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. “We are also excited to congratulate and applaud Dick Quint as the Central Florida / FSBDC at UCF Regional Volunteer of the Year for his longstanding support and dedicated volunteer work supporting the FSBDC at UCFs clients in our Advisory Board Council program and Jose ‘Ed’ Ramos, the FSBDC at UCF’s longtime friend and supporter from the SBA, as the Central Florida / FSBDC at UCF Regional Resource Partner of the Year.
“I also have to again acknowledge and celebrate that we at the FSBDC at UCF are humbled yet immensely gratified to be honored as the SBDC of the Year by the SBA,” said Choi. “Our team takes great pride in its unwavering commitment to serving the small business community and advancing SBA’s mission. This award reflects our consistent ability to exceed SBA milestones and outperform our own high expectations within the Florida SBDC Network.”
“Artistic Talent Group and Hotspray Industrial Coatings are the best possible examples of small business success stories, each one built upon the vision, energy, and determination of their entrepreneurial founders,” shared Choi. “The FSBDC at UCF works to provide no-cost 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 continued.
Artistic Talent Group (ATG) is a creative entertainment and art services company based in Central Florida, specializing in live, interactive experiences and custom artwork. With nearly 30 years of partnership with Walt Disney World, ATG’s artists create Caricatures, Henna, and Name Works at Disney’s theme parks, resorts, and at their brick-and-mortar store, The Art Corner at Disney Springs. Their business allows over 100,000 people annually to have face time with real artists, creating memories that last a lifetime.
Hotspray Industrial Coatings is a robust and multifaceted industrial and specialty coatings company which offers a wide variety of industrial painting services including surface preparation, sandblasting, spray painting, and specialized coatings. The Hotspray team’s expertise and top-of-the-line equipment eliminate constant maintenance issues, prevent corrosion, and improve safety on high-stakes projects like launch pads and aquariums. Whether preparing critical infrastructure or enhancing the durability of unique installations, Hotspray’s ability to execute large-scale projects has positioned the firm as a trusted partner serving: SeaWorld, Disney, Universal Studios, SpaceX, Department of Defense, Kennedy Space Center and Brevard and Volusia Counties’ School Districts.
“Both Artistic Talent Group and Hotspray Industrial Coatings 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,” highlights Choi.
“Florida’s 3.5 million small business owners work diligently every day to launch and grow their businesses, and the Florida SBDC Network is proud to partner with them to help make their dreams a reality,” said Greg Britton, state director of the Florida SBDC Network. “We are proud to be able to celebrate the success of some of our highest performers, and acknowledge all that our small businesses do to help make Florida the best state in the nation to work, live, and play. And I would be remiss to not send another shout out of celebration and congratulations to the Florida SBDC at UCF as the SBA’s 2026 National SBDC of the Year.”
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 ran May 3 – 9 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 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 2025, the FSBDC at UCF served 2,142 entrepreneurs in Central Florida with consulting services, resulting in more than 3,967 jobs impacted; $760.1 million in sales growth; $83.6 million in capital formation; $85.1 million in government contract awards; and 155 new businesses started. For more information, please visit www.sbdcorlando.com.
About the Florida SBDC Network
For 50 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 2025, the Florida SBDC Network delivered 112,158 hours of consulting to 15,439 small business clients – resulting in business owners securing $534.7 million in capital, $711.5 million in government contracting, impacting 18,334 jobs, increasing sales by over $3.4 billion, and creating 1,111 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. Full funding disclosure available at www.floridasbdc.org/funding-disclosures.
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
