Georgia
Georgia small businesses honored during national ceremony
ATLANTA – Georgia small businesses were honored among others during the 2024 National Small Business Week Award Winners ceremony.
Release:
The SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, the voice in President Biden’s Cabinet for America’s more than 33 million small businesses, announced the National Small Business Week (NSBW) 2024 Award Winners, including Georgia’s Small Business Person of the Year, and other business owners, leading partners, and advocates who embody the grit and determination that power our nation’s economy and ensure disaster-impacted communities can recover. This year’s NSBW will take place April 28 – May 4, 2024.
“Our 2024 National Small Business Week award winners exemplify excellence, innovation, and commitment, and the SBA is proud to showcase their incredible achievements and impact on their communities and our economy,” said Administrator Guzman. “Under the Biden-Harris Administration, more Americans than ever before are pursuing the American dream of business ownership and able to access more opportunities, with historic investments in communities across America in local infrastructure, broadband, manufacturing, innovation, and clean energy. National Small Business Week is the nation’s opportunity to lift up the amazing entrepreneurs, small business advocates, local partners, advisors, lenders, and investors who support America’s entrepreneurial spirt and the historic Biden-Harris Small Business Boom.”
Georgia Winners
Georgia’s Small Business Person of the Year is Eric Williams, President and CEO of Unified Defense and Prince Service & Manufacturing, two manufacturing companies Williams operates as a single entity in Middle Georgia. His companies manufacture and provide metal components to defense and commercial sectors. Williams received $2.2 million in SBA loans to help finance and expand his organization, including the acquisition of Prince Service & Manufacturing in 2022.
“Unified Defense and Prince Service & Manufacturing is a great example of a small business that is helping power the local economy in middle Georgia by creating and adding jobs to a rural area,” said Terri Denison. “Rural areas rely on small businesses to employ more than 54 percent of workers, and Eric’s personal mission is to help make his rural community a great place to both live and work.”
The SBA’s 2024 National Exporter of the Year is Oscar Felipe Arroyave, President and Founder of Atlanta-based Spectrum International Group, LLC. The company designs, manufactures and sells specialty contact lenses to over 65 countries around the world. Spectrum received an SBA COVID EIDL loan during the pandemic that provided working capital to reach new markets and invest in technology. Additionally, the company has worked with the Small Business Development International Trade Center for SBA loan assistance and received an SBA State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) grant funding in 2022 to help with exports.
“We are excited to congratulate Spectrum International Group’s Founder Oscar Felipe Arroyave for representing the state of Georgia and being named the SBA’s 2024 National Exporter of the Year. Georgia has experienced three consecutiverecord-breaking years for exports, with companies such as Spectrum exporting nearly $50 billion in goods to 215 unique countries and territories. Spectrum is a shining example of how leveraging SBA resource partners and programs can help small businesses expand their global footprint.”
Award Ceremonies
The NSBW Award Ceremonies will take place April 28 – 29, 2024 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington, D.C., where Administrator Guzman will recognize the national award winners and individual state winners, and also announce the top honor of National Small Business Person of the Year from among the individual state winners. Administrator Guzman will then launch a roadshow tour from April 30 – May 3, 2024, which will include stops in Manchester, N.H., Milwaukee, Wis., Denver, Colo., and Billings, Mont. Administrator Guzman will be joined by local leaders to honor award-winning small businesses and discuss SBA initiatives and opportunities for the small business community. The week-long National Small Business Week celebration will also feature a virtual summit co-hosted by SCORE, mentors to America’s small businesses.
In Georgia, an awards luncheon will be held in Metro Atlanta in early May honoring the Georgia Small Business Person of the Year, Georgia Exporter, and other local award winners from the state.
2024 State Small Business Persons of the Year:
State
Awardee(s)
Name of Business
City/State
Alabama
Shanna Ullman, Timothy Ullman, Robert Prescott
Transformation Partners LLC
Tuscaloosa, AL
Alaska
Kali C Bennett
The Waterworks
Anchorage, AK
Arizona
Austin Tsosie/Dan Riggs
Dine Development Corporation
Scottsdale, AZ
Arkansas
Lynette West
HealthWear Corp
Jonesboro, AR
California
Carrie A. Schmidt
B.C. Schmidt Construction, Inc.
Colusa, CA
Colorado
Benjamin and Christine Herron
Achieve Sports Center
Denver, CO
Connecticut
Maria Miranda
Miranda Creative
Norwichtown, CT
Delaware
Amy Lord Hughes
Lord’s Landscaping, Inc.
Millville, DE
District of Columbia
Manuel “Manny” Cosme
CFO Service Group
Washington, DC
Florida
Yanet Herrero
KINGS Service Solutions
Orlando, Florida
Georgia
Eric Williams
Unified Defense and Prince Service & Manufacturing
Byron, GA
Guam
Jessica Leon Guerrero
M80 Systems, Inc.
Asan, GU
Hawaii
Ronald B. Panzo
Nalu’s South Shore Grill
Kihei, HI
Idaho
Jeanne McFall
RIVHAB Engineering Design
Eagle, ID
Illinois
Jacqueline Jackson
Kilwins
Chicago, IL
Indiana
DuJuan McCoy
Circle City Broadcasting
Indianapolis, IN
Iowa
Cathy Bishop
Aggie’s Inc.
Sergeant Bluff, IA
Kansas
Dallas M. Haselhorst
Treetop Security, LLC
Hays, KS
Kentucky
Ines M. Rivas-Hutchins
INTEC Group LLC
Lexington, KY
Louisiana
Iam Tucker
Integrated Logistical Support, Incorporated (ILSI, Inc.)
New Orleans, LA
Maine
Matthew Polstein
New England Outdoor Center
Millinocket, ME
Maryland
Rose Maria Li
Rose Li and Associates
Bethesda, MD
Massachusetts
Stephanie Vanderbilt
Coastal Windows & Exteriors
Beverly, MA
Michigan
Tiffany Klingensmith
Unconventional Solutions, Inc.
Wixom, Mi
Minnesota
Micah Eveland; Kent Eveland
Scamp Trailers
Backus, MN
Mississippi
John Ruskey
Quapaw Canoe Co.
Clarksdale, MS
Missouri
Charlie M. Downs III
Sugarfire Smokehouse
St. Louis, MO
Montana
Loretta L. Bolyard, PHD
Mountain West Psychological Resources
Butte, MT
Nebraska
Michael Moravec, PT, DPT, OCS
Bluffs Physical Therapy
Scottsbluff, NE
Nevada
Wanda Luna
Universal Furniture Design
Las Vegas, NV
New Hampshire
Susan Borchert & Betsy Harrison
Counseling Associates
New London, NH
New Jersey
Isabelita “Lita” Marcelo Abele
U.S. Lumber Inc.
Woodbury Heights, NJ
New Mexico
Christopher J. Sweetin
Triskelion Group of New Mexico, Inc.
Albuquerque, NM
New York
Aneesa T. Waheed
Bollywood Masala Corp dba Tara Kitchen
Schenectady, NY
North Carolina
Dylan Reid Gehrken
GREASECYCLE, LLC
Raleigh, NC
North Dakota
Cherie Olson Harms
Leonardite Products, LLC
Williston, ND
Ohio
Ericka Adams
Adams Dental Assisting Academy
Gahanna, OH
Oklahoma
Angelene Wright
Ida Red
Tulsa, OK
Oregon
McKean Banzer-Lausberg, Michael Branes, Colin Rath, and Eric Banzer-Lausberg.
Migration Brewing, LLC
Portland, OR
Pennsylvania
Dorothea Spencer
D Gillette Industrial Services
Easton, PA
Puerto Rico
Eduardo Diaz-Argimon
Baldwin Animal Hospital, PSC
Guaynabo, PR
Rhode Island
Brian Goldman
Big Blue Bug Solutions
Providence, RI
South Carolina
Vickey Evans
CORG Management Group LLC
Columbia, SC
South Dakota
Nick & Greg Heineman
Look’s Marketplace
Sioux Falls, SD
Tennessee
Craig Charles
Crown Cutz Academy
Johnson City, TN
Texas
Tamiko Bailey
Bailey’s Premier Services, LLC
Fort Worth, Texas
Utah
Autumn McGregor
Zion’s Tiny Homes
Hurricane, Utah
Vermont
Kerry Boyle
Integrative Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
Montpelier, VT
Virginia
Anil Boinapalli
Sky Solutions, LLC
Herndon, VA
Washington
Heather McDowell
Seattle Green Earth Cleaning
Seattle, WA
West Virginia
Lisa Fritsch, Peter Fritsch, Adam Leach and Chet Tobrey
Agile5 Technologies, Inc
Fairmont, WV
Wisconsin
Eric Rupert, Sam McDaniel, Jessica Benish
Fortune Favors
Cottage Grove, WI
Wyoming
Dr. Erica Higgins
Empowered Chiropractic
Casper, WY
In addition to state-level recognition, national awards will also be presented in the following categories to the following:
Small Business Exporter of the Year:
- Spectrum International Group, LLC, Atlanta, GA
Phoenix Awards for Disaster Recovery:
- Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery: The Coffee Shoppe, Selma, AL
- Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Public Official: Dirk Joseph Guidry, Chauvin, LA
- Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Volunteer: Leanne Rogers Lovell, Wynne, AR
Federal Procurement Awards:
- Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year: Action Manufacturing Company, Bristol, PA
- Small Business Subcontractor of the Year: Knowledge Based Systems, Inc., College Station, TX
- Dwight D. Eisenhower Awards for Excellence – Services (for large prime contractors who use small businesses as suppliers and contractors): Jacobs, Greenwood Village, CO
- Dwight D. Eisenhower Awards for Excellence – Construction (for large prime contractors who use small businesses as suppliers and contractors): Bechtel Corporation, New York, NY
- 8(a) Graduate of the Year: Johnson’s Consulting dba Cetechs, Mesa, AZ
Awards to SBA Resource Partners:
- SCORE Chapter of the Year Award: SCORE SE Wisconsin Chapter, Milwaukee, WI
- Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence and Innovation Center Award: Aurora-South Metro Small Business Development Center, Aurora, CO
- Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award: Great Lakes Women’s Business Council, Southfield, MI
- Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Year: Mississippi State University VBOC, Starkville, MS
Small Business Investment Company of the Year:
- Emerging Manager: Mizzen Capital, LP, Stamford, CT
- Established Manger: Argosy Private Equity, Wayne, PA
Surety Bond Agent of the Year:
- KOG International, Inc., Enola, PA
For more information about National Small Business Week, visit www.sba.gov/NSBW. Media interested in scheduling interviews with Administrator Guzman should contact press_office@sba.gov.
Cosponsorship Authorization # 24-1-C. SBA’s participation in this Cosponsored Activity is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products or services of any Cosponsor or other person or entity. All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
Nov. 26 (UPI) — The prosecutor in the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump dropped the charges on Wednesday.
Pete Skandalakis, executive director of Georgia’s Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, who took over the case when Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis was disqualified, filed a motion Wednesday saying that he’s dropping the case “to serve the interests of justice and promote judicial finality”
“[The case] is on life support and the decision what to do with it falls on me and me alone. But unlike family members who must make the emotional decision to withdraw loved ones from life-sustaining treatment, I have no emotional connection to this case. As a former elected official who ran as both a Democrat and a Republican and now is the Executive Director of a non-partisan agency, this decision is not guided by a desire to advance an agenda but is based on my beliefs and understanding of the law,” he wrote.
Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty in August 2023 to a racketeering indictment in their alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Willis brought the charges after a phone call from Trump to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking him to “find” the votes needed to give the state’s electoral votes to Trump.
Skandalakis addressed the call to Raffensperger in his motion.
“While the call is concerning, reasonable minds could differ as to how to interpret the call. One interpretation is that President Donald J. Trump, without explicitly stating it, is instructing the Secretary of State to fictitiously or fraudulently produce enough votes to secure a victory in Georgia. An alternative interpretation is that President Donald J. Trump, genuinely believing fraud had occurred, is asking the Secretary of State to investigate and determine whether sufficient irregularities exist to change the election outcome. When multiple interpretations are equally plausible, the accused is entitled to the benefit of the doubt and should not be presumed to have acted criminally.”
Willis was eventually disqualified because of a romantic relationship with a special prosecutor on the case. After she was disqualified, Skandalakis was tasked with finding another prosecutor to handle the case. When none was found, on Nov. 14 he took on the case himself.
Some defendants in the case — Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro and Scott Hall — took plea deals after agreeing to testify. Trump later gave them all federal pardons.
Georgia Tech is facing its bitter rival on Friday afternoon on national television. It is a chance to show the country, despite two losses in the past three games, that the Yellow Jackets are a top team. Georgia Tech lost to NC State and Pittsburgh and is looking to close its season strong. They are 9-2 and have a chance to pick up a quality win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Georgia comes in at 10-1 on the season and has won seven consecutive games. The Bulldogs are in contention for a SEC Championship game spot and are the No. 4-ranked team in the country. The Bulldogs are ranked in the top 30 in total offense, averaging 430.3 yards per game. It will be a challenge for Georgia Tech to slow them down and try to come out with a win.
The Yellow Jackets are a big underdog in their matchup against the Bulldogs on Friday. According to ESPN’s FPI, Georgia Tech is only given a 13% chance to win, and the Bulldogs are given an 87% chance to win.
Georgia Tech fell to Georgia last year in one of the best games in series’ history in 2024. Georgia held on to win 44-42 in an eight overtime game. It was the game where Haynes King captivated the country with his play and valiant effort. King finished with 303 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. He carved the Bulldogs defense on the ground with 110 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Head coach Brent Key talked about if the team has more motivation heading into the matchup after last year’s result.
“Yeah, I don’t know if it’s more motivation. I do not get into the motivating part of it. I get into playing the game for the right reasons. And then the 30 football team won’t even here. So years don’t carry over to each other. They’re completely week to week. It’s different. Look, I mean, all that matters is this week right now. Everything that’s happened in the past, everything that happens future next week. None of that stuff matters this week. Not one bit of it. Records, you know, wins, losses of late. I mean, no of that does. That’s what I told the team today.”
Despite the ACC Championship being a long shot, Georgia Tech can do a lot for moxie and continue to build its program. With a win, the Yellow Jackets will clinch their fifth ten-win regular season in program history and first win over Georgia since 2016. It’s a lot on the line for Georgia Tech on Friday afternoon.
•Georgia Tech Releases Depth Chart Ahead of Matchup With No. 4 Georgia
•Three Storylines To Watch On Friday As Georgia Tech Takes On Georgia
•Everything From Brent Key Ahead of Friday’s Game vs Georgia
•Georgia Tech Defensive Back Jy Gilmore Is Out For The Rest Of The Season
Utility rate increase possible if PSC approves Georgia Power request
Georgia Power wants to add more energy to the grid. But analysts with the state agency that regulates rates say that could mean your monthly utility bill could go up. Right now, the Public Service Commission is considering a request from Georgia Power to add 10-gigawatts to the grid.
ATLANTA – Georgia Power wants to add more energy to the grid — but analysts with the state agency that regulates utility rates say that could mean higher monthly bills for customers.
What we know:
Right now, the Public Service Commission (PSC) is considering Georgia Power’s request to add 10 gigawatts of energy capacity. The company says the expansion is needed to keep up with rising demand, particularly from data centers that could move into the state.
What they’re saying:
Public advocates warn that all that extra power could come at a cost to customers who are already paying more than they used to.
Giselle Graciano, who moved from Kansas to metro Atlanta earlier this year, said her monthly utility bills have been much higher than expected.
“Average bill, so far, has been around $90 to $110,” Graciano said. “Compared to where I came from, yeah — that’s a lot of money.”
In recent testimony, public-interest advocacy staff with the PSC said Georgia Power’s proposal could raise monthly bills by about $20.
“Definitely, a bit of a strain in terms of budgeting, especially in current economic conditions,” Graciano said.
Georgia Power has already raised prices six times since 2022, though the PSC approved a rate freeze through 2028. Consumer advocates worry customer bills could rise again once that freeze ends.
“I think it’s a travesty,” said Kimberly Scott, Executive Director of the advocacy group Georgia WAND. “We could see an increase in our rates come 2028, 2029.”
Public-interest advocates are urging the PSC to approve only about one-third of what Georgia Power requested, arguing it’s unclear if the potential data center contracts will actually materialize.
“The approach seems to be, if you build it, they will come. But what if they don’t?” said Bob Sherrier, Staff Attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.
The other side:
In a statement, Georgia Power spokesperson Matthew Kent said the company disagrees with staff testimony calling its demand projections speculative.
“We continue to work with the Georgia PSC to ensure that we have the reliable energy Georgia needs as our state grows while maintaining affordability for all customers,” Kent said. “It is due to these large-load commitments that Georgia Power was able to freeze base rates for the next three years.”
What’s next:
The Public Service Commission will hold hearings on Dec. 10 and Dec. 12 and is expected to vote on Dec. 19, just before newly elected commissioners are sworn in.
The Source: Information in this article came from FOX 5’s Christopher King speaking with advocates and past FOX 5 reporting. He also reached out to Georgia Power for a statement.
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