National Small Business Week Celebrated by FSBDC at UCF

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FSBDC at UCF to Honor Client SeaDek
National SBA 2018 Small Business Exporter of the Year

May 2, 2018
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 15th at the 2018 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 Network, the Small Business Resource Network (SBRN) and the Small Business Administration who will present the following awards to the local, state, district and national SBA awards recipients in attendance:

  • Small Business Exporter of the Year

National, Regional, State and South Florida District Winner
Serenity Gardner, Chief Operating Officer
Jason Gardner, Vice President
SeaDek Marine Products — Rockledge

 

  • Florida SBDC at UCF Regional Volunteer of the Year

Rich Becerra, Senior Business Consultant
TriNet – Lake Mary
 

“We at the FSBDC at UCF are so proud that our valued client SeaDek Marine Products has been honored as the National Small Business Exporter of the Year by the Small Business Administration 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 Rich Becerra for his outstanding volunteer work supporting the FSBDC at UCF’s clients in our Advisory Board Council program.”

“These individuals and their companies are premier examples of small business success stories, “continued Choi. “SeaDek has built itself from a start-up into an impressive business in the US, and now taken the next step by entering and succeeding in multiple foreign markets. They are 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.  We at the FSBDC at UCF are gratified to have assisted them in their achievement in some small way. “

“We couldn’t be more proud to recognize the accomplishments of our extraordinary clients and advocates,” said Michael W. Myhre, CEO of the Florida SBDC Network. “The National Small Business Week Awards are one of the most prestigious in the country. We are honored to have our clients and advocates recognized for their contributions to their local and state 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. This year’s week-long celebration is scheduled to run April 29 – May 5 with events being held in multiple cities from coast-to-coast that are designed to help small businesses start, grow and succeed. The week’s events commence at the U.S. Institute for Peace in Washington, DC, where SBA Administrator Linda McMahon will announce the National Small Business Person of the Year, SBA’s highest honor.

— 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