FSBDC at UCF Client SeaDek Named SBA 2018 Small Business Exporter of the Year
Rockledge, FL-based Marine Products Manufacturer Recognized Nationally
April 11, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hal Thayer, Communications Director, FSBDC at UCF, 407.420.4850 or hthayer@ucf.edu
Orlando, FL – The Florida SBDC at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) is pleased to announce that its Brevard County client SeaDek has been named the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2018 National Small Business Exporter of the Year, in addition to winning SBA Region IV, State of Florida and South Florida District Exporter of the Year honors.
The company, represented by Serenity Gardner, chief operating officer, and Jason Gardner, vice president of marketing, has been invited to travel to Washington, D.C. to receive their award during the 2018 National Small Business Awards events and ceremonies on April 29-30, the kickoff to the SBA’s National Small Business Week.
Each year since 1963, the president has issued a proclamation calling for the celebration of National Small Business Week. This year it is being held from April 29-May 5. It is an annual event hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration to recognize the nation’s top small businesses, entrepreneurs, small business advocates and champions. Every day they’re working to grow small businesses, create 21st century jobs, drive innovation, and increase America’s global competitiveness.
“We are so proud that our client SeaDek has been recognized as the SBA’s 2018 National Small Business Exporter of the Year,” said Eunice Choi, Regional Director of the FSBDC at UCF. “Building a successful small business is not easy, and to then undertake expansion into international markets is a tall order. We at the FSBDC are glad we could help, but the real credit goes to the company, its leadership and its team. They did the hard work and are tremendously deriving of this prestigious national recognition by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
As part of the National Small Business Week celebrations, the FSBDC at UCF will host its 2018 Small Business Awards Luncheon and awards ceremony on May 15th at the Citrus Club in downtown Orlando to recognize
SeaDek as 2018 National Small Business Exporter of the Year as well as its regional Florida SBDC Volunteer of the Year.
For information about SeaDek, please see http://www.seadek.com/.
— FSBDC —
About the FSBDC at UCF
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 Research & Commercialization and the Florida SBDC Network (FSBDC Network). The FSBDC at UCF provides business seminars and no-cost, one-on-one business consultation to emerging and established businesses. 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 2016, the FSBDC at UCF served over 2,400 entrepreneurs in Central Florida through consulting and training, resulting in nearly 6,700 jobs created, retained or saved; $980 million in sales growth; $92.7 million in capital formation; $154.6 million in government contract awards; and 120 new businesses started.
About the FSBDC Network
The FSBDC at UCF is a member of the Florida SBDC Network, a statewide partnership program nationally accredited by the Association of America’s SBDCs and funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Defense Logistics Agency, State of Florida and other private and public partners, with the University of West Florida serving as the network’s lead host institution. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for limited English proficient individuals. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA or other funding partners.
For over 35 years, the FSBDC Network has nourished a statewide partnership between higher education and economic development organizations, dedicated to providing emerging and established business owners with management and technical assistance, enabling overall growth and increased profitability for the businesses and economic prosperity for the state. The FSBDC Network is a statewide service system of 41 centers with 60 outreach locations, including the FSBDC at UCF.
Since 2011, Florida SBDCs served almost 75,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners through consulting and training, resulting in 252,955 jobs created, retained or saved; $33.3 billion in sales growth; $1.4 billion in capital accessed; $2.6 billion in government contract awards; and 4,159 new businesses started.
FSBDC at UCF | 3201 E. Colonial Drive | Orlando, FL 32801 | p 407.420.4850 | f 407.420.4862
sbdc@ucf.edu | www.sbdcorlando.com
