Georgia

Georgia small businesses honored during national ceremony

Published

2 years ago

March 14, 2024

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.

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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.

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Georgia

Georgia politicians react along party lines to Minneapolis ICE officer shooting, killing US citizen

Published

8 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Georgia politicians react along party lines to Minneapolis ICE officer shooting, killing US citizen

Local groups plan to protest around downtown Atlanta Thursday evening after a Minneapolis woman was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent this week. Reactions from Georgia politicians on the killing have been divided.

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Georgia

Stacey Abrams rules out 2026 bid for Georgia governor

Published

21 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Stacey Abrams rules out 2026 bid for Georgia governor

Politics

Two-time Democratic nominee says she’ll focus on fight against ‘authoritarianism’ instead.

Former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams speaks at the Georgia State University Convocation Center in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, for a Kamala Harris campaign rally. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Stacey Abrams won’t be on the Georgia ballot in 2026.

The two-time Democratic nominee for governor definitively ruled out another run for Georgia’s top job this year, saying Thursday she’ll instead continue her work fighting what she sees as the nation’s lurch toward authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.

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Georgia Gubernatorial Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams and Republican candidate Brian Kemp greet each other before a live taping of the 2018 Gubernatorial debate for the Atlanta Press Club at the Georgia Public Broadcasting studio in Atlanta, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. (Alyssa Pointer/AJC)

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A broader battle

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Rev. Martha Simmons wears an “election protection” badge during election day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, as a part of the New Georgia Project’s Faith Initiative. (Christina Matacotta for the AJC)

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Democratic candidates for governor include (top row, left to right): Keisha Lance Bottoms, Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves. Bottom row: Derrick Jackson, Ruwa Romman and Michael Thurmond. (AJC file photos)

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Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.

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Georgia

Georgia Republicans move to scrap state income tax by 2032 despite concerns

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Georgia Republicans move to scrap state income tax by 2032 despite concerns

ATLANTA — Eliminating state income taxes sounds great to many voters, but Republicans backing the push in multiple states still face questions about whether such big tax cuts can be made without raising other taxes or sharply cutting state funding for education, health care and other services.

Georgia on Wednesday became the latest state to launch a bid to abolish its personal income tax, with Republican leaders in the Senate backing a proposal to zero it out by 2032. This year, Georgia’s personal income tax is projected to collect about $16.5 billion, or 44% of the state’s general revenue.

The push is driven by politics. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, the Republican who leads the state Senate, has made eliminating income taxes a centerpiece of his 2026 campaign for governor. State Sen. Blake Tillery, a Vidalia Republican who led a committee to abolish the tax, is among candidates to succeed Jones as lieutenant governor.

“This is the first vote that we are going to get to take to address affordability,” Tillery said.

But it’s unclear if the proposal will pass. Georgia House Republicans may want to continue nibbling away at the tax in smaller bites, preferring a “measured” approach. Republican House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington said Wednesday that his big 2026 goal is to eliminate property taxes for homeowners, but said he’s willing to consider the Senate plan.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, serving his last year, has been cool to total elimination of the income tax. He declined to comment Wednesday on the Senate plan, but spokesperson Carter Chapman said Kemp wants “to continue lowering taxes and putting more money in Georgians’ pockets as he has throughout his term.”

The state’s Democratic minority opposes the move, saying it would mostly benefit high earners and the state needs money to provide services.

Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) holds a pre-session press conference to discuss his priorities for the 2026 legislative session, at the State Capitol in Atlanta, Ga, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Credit: AP/Matthew Pearson

Multiple GOP-led states seek tax cuts

Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi and Missouri have all set goals to abolish the personal income tax, joining eight other states that don’t tax personal income. Eight other states besides Georgia are cutting personal income tax rates this year, according to the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C., group generally skeptical of higher taxes.

“We’ve seen a lot of states cut their income tax rates in the last four or five years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and coming out of it,” said Aravind Boddupalli, senior researcher at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Supporters say cuts help a state compete for new residents and businesses, pointing to growth in Texas and Florida, two states without personal income taxes.

“Your income tax is a tax on productivity,” said Manish Bhatt, who studies state taxes for the Tax Foundation. “If you are taxing productivity, you are potentially losing out on economic gains.”

Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) holds a pre-session press... — Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) holds a pre-session press conference to discuss his priorities for the 2026 legislative session, at the State Capitol in Atlanta, Ga, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Credit: AP/Matthew Pearson

Front-loading cuts for lower earners

Georgia has already been cutting income taxes, taking what was once a top income tax rate of 6% and lowering it to a 5.19% flat rate. Republicans broadly support a further cut for individual and corporate taxpayers to 4.99% this year, worth an estimated $800 million in foregone tax revenue.

The Senate plan would then freeze the corporate rate and focus on individual tax cuts. It proposes in 2027 to exempt the first $50,000 of income for a single person or $100,000 for a married couple, up from $12,000 and $24,000 now.

Faced with Democratic criticism about affordability, the big increase in exempt income is central to Republicans’ own arguments about how they can make money stretch farther. About 70% of Georgians reported less than $100,000 of taxable income in 2024, according to state figures.

“It is a plan that gives benefits first to hardworking families,” Tillery said.

The initial rate cut, plus the exemption proposal, would lower Georgia revenue by $3.8 billion in its 2027 budget year. Tillery says the state could pay by using surplus tax revenue and shifting back to paying for capital expenditures through borrowing instead of cash. But those moves probably wouldn’t cover the foregone revenue even in the first year, much less $13 billion more in cuts to get to zero.

Tillery said revenue should be bolstered by trimming business income and sales tax breaks, saying legislators should reduce “corporate welfare.” But lawmakers and Kemp have balked at curtailing those measures in recent years.

Some tax cuts backfired

Tax cuts haven’t always been a political bonanza. In Kansas, after Republicans under Gov. Sam Brownback cut income taxes steeply more than a decade ago, voters revolted at budget cuts and lawmakers imposed multiple tax increases to cover persistent budget shortfalls, including restoring some income tax cuts. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly won her first term in 2018 by framing the race as a referendum on Brownback’s policies.

“State income taxes are only bad if you fundamentally don’t believe that the services, the public investments that state governments provide, are worth anything,” said Matt Gardner, a senior fellow with the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy .

In Missouri, Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe and GOP legislative leaders have made phasing out the state’s income tax a top priority for the session starting Wednesday. They’re looking to expand sales taxes to services which currently are untaxed to help offset lost revenue.

“We want to do this in a smart, efficient way that’s not going to have the state go off some sort of fiscal cliff,” Missouri House Majority Leader Alex Riley told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

But expanding sales taxes could fall more heavily on poorer taxpayers. The liberal-leaning Georgia Budget and Policy Institute estimated that if Georgia doesn’t expand its sales tax, the combined state and local sales tax rate would have to rise sharply from the current 7.42% to recover revenue losses.

All that leads to questions about income-tax elimination plans, even from Republicans. Burns, the Georgia House speaker, said he’s “open” to any plan that benefits Georgians.

“But we’ve got to have the details, and it has to work,” Burns said. “We need to make sure we can continue to do vital services — health care, public safety, education, all the things we talked about.”

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