SBA celebrates National Small Business Week
Montgomery of AmerenUE local ‘champion’
U.S. Small Business Administration events to honor National Small Business Week are scheduled for April 12-13. Small Business Persons of the Year from each state, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, as well as other award winners will be recognized in Washington, D.C., at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.
The two-day conference will focus on small business accomplishments, and showcase small businesses recovering from disasters. Four major award events will take place, culminating with the announcement of the National Small Business Person of the Year.
Locally, the SBA will present ten Small Business Week awards during the Annual SBA Awards Dinner on May 11 at the Chase Park Plaza, in the Khorassan Ballroom. The celebration will begin at 5 p.m. with an exhibit gala in which business owners will be able to network with sponsors, nominees and peers. The awards dinner will be at 6:30 p.m.
The awardee this year for Minority Small Business Champion of the Year will go to Brian Montgomery, Minority Business Development Executive for AmerenUE, who was nominated by Jan DeYoung of St. Louis Enterprise Centers.
According to the SBA, when AmerenUE executives asked Montgomery to double Ameren’s spending on minority contractors, he did that and then some. In the three years he has worked as minority business development executive, he has been part of a team that has helped to more than triple Ameren’s annual contractor spending.
Montgomery also volunteers with the Minority Business Council on many events. He has worked with the MBC on its minority business opportunity fair corporate fund and participation drive for the last two years. He is a champion for the MBC and helps to solicit funds from Ameren to further the cause of minority business expansion.
He participates on the St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers Diversity Committee, which works to increase minority utilization in the construction trades. He works on numerous diversity council projects, including the High School Trade Fair and the Minority Business Construction Opportunity Fair. He also participated on a business panel for the Upward Bound Summer Program at Harris-Stowe and The Boys Scouts of America.
Montgomery serves on MOKAN’s advisory board. The organization discusses minority construction concerns and works toward addressing these issues. He is a catalyst in soliciting funds for MOKAN and provides assistance for MOKAN members. He has participated on several panels for the Missouri Black Caucus and is a member of the Missouri Black Caucus Think Tank. He participates in the Illinois Supplier Diversity Council which works to improve participation in the corporate sector.
Brian has arranged for MBEs to take professional classes at Ameren’s in-house training facility. He reviews business plans and offers assistance in connecting MBEs with other corporate citizens.
The following area small business owners or champions also will be honored:
Hall of Fame Inductee
Maxine Clark, Founder and Chief Executive Bear
Build-A-Bear Workshop
Small Business Team of the Year
Suzanne Magee Joyce, President and CEO
Andrea S. Johnson, Chief Operating Officer
TechGuard Security, LLC
Financial Services Champion of the Year
Robert J. Calcaterra, CEO and President
Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise
Home-Based Business Champion of the Year
Angela M. Lieb, President
Xpress Office Center
Small Business Exporter of the Year
John M. Zisser, Jr., President
Zisser Tire Company, Inc.
SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Margaret Laughlin Honerkamp, President
Laughlin Promotions
Small Business Journalist of the Year
Shera Dalin, Co-owner
CarisMedia
Women in Business Champion of the Year
Maryanne T. Preston, President
Hiring Solutions
Jeffrey H. Butland Family-Owned Business of the Year
John Tipton, President
Da-Com Corporation
Selected from nomination packages submitted to St. Louis SBA district office, the awardees are being recognized on the basis of having met one or more of the following criteria:
? Demonstrated entrepreneurial potential necessary for long-term business success and economic growth.
? If a small business, evidence of success as measured by sales and profits.
? Voluntary efforts beyond business/professional responsibilities to advance small business interests within the small business community, state and/or nation.
? Support of the small business community as a whole, not solely for individual personal advancement.
For complete information on the week’s local events, visit www.smallbusinessweekstl.org. You can register on the site or you can get a registration form by calling the SBA’s fax back number, (314) 851-0945. Your call must come from a fax machine and follow the recorded instructions. Call 314-746-WEEK (9335) for further information.
The deadline for reservations is May 1.
