News Release

Region VI – Houston District Office

Release Date: April 3, 2012 / Contact: Valerie Nguyen (713) 773-6516
Release Number: 12-03 / Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Blogs

HOUSTON DISTRICT 2012

SMALL BUSINESS AWARD WINNERS

HOUSTON -- The U. S. Small Business Administration announced the winners for the Houston District. “This year marks the 49th annual proclamation of National Small Business Week and we will be saluting the achievements of these winners at the Small Business Awards Luncheon May 31, 2012, 11:30am at the JW Marriott Houston, 5150 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX 77056. We are excited to announce METRO President and Chief Executive Officer George Greanias as the keynote speaker,” said Manuel Gonzalez, SBA Houston district director.

The 2012 Small Business award winners are as follows:

Small Business Person of the Year: Linda Morris, DJ’s Boudain

Financial Services Champion: Beth Holmgren, Statesman Business Advisors

Minority Small Business Champion: Yusef F. Muhammad, Frequency Communications, Inc.

SBA Young Entrepreneur: Masroor Fatany, Sears Garage Solutions of Houston

Veteran Small Business Champion: Wallace Davis & Jerry Hartless, Sniperhill Internet Services, Inc.

Women In Business Champion: Domonique Yvonne Randall, The Shape of Behavior, Inc.

Small Business Exporter: Dr. James M. Brooks, Dr. Bernie B. Bernard, TDI-Brooks International, Inc.

Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Business: Mike Tofte, Michael Tofte, & Bill Tofte, Industrial Tool & Die Co., Inc.

Home-Based Business Champion: Sharon S. Scott, The Marvin & Juanita Smith Learning Centers of Excellence, Inc.

In the Entrepreneurial Development Awards category, the SBA Counselor of the Year: SCORE award winner is Beth Shapiro, SCORE Houston Chapter 37 education committee chair and former chapter chair. This award honors an individual counselor in the SCORE association for his or her excellence in providing counseling, training, mentoring and other program services to small businesses. Mrs. Shapiro will be honored at National Small Business Week in Washington DC on May 21, 2012.

The local awards luncheon will be sponsored by Houston SCORE Chapter 37, a resource partner of the SBA and Counselors to America’s Small Businesses. For more information about the luncheon, contact SCORE at (713) 773-6565 or visit their website at www.scorehouston.org.

# # #