SBA Announces National Small Business Week 2026 Award Winners- Gardner Chiropractic PLLC Emily Gardner and Samuel Gardner (Olean NY) Named for New York State

Administrator Loeffler to Recognize Honorees during Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on May 3

Published on March 27, 2026

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced its state and territory Small Business Persons of the Year for National Small Business Week (NSBW), which will take place from May 3–9. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler will recognize the state, territory, and specialty award winners at a national awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on May 3. The list of honorees is available at https://www.sba.gov/national-small-business-week/national-small-business-week-awardees. 

“During National Small Business Week, SBA is honored to recognize the job creators, builders, and innovators who fuel our nation’s economy and anchor communities across America,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “This year, as we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary, we are highlighting the historic America First agenda that is driving growth, opportunity, and strength for the next generation of entrepreneurs. Through tax cuts, fair trade, and deregulation, the Trump Administration is proud to stand with America’s small businesses – and to celebrate the strong comeback of Main Street.” 

Since 1963, the President of the United States has declared National Small Business Week to recognize small businesses as the job creators, builders, and innovators of America’s economy. This year, small businesses are benefitting from a host of new pro-growth incentives introduced as part of the America First agenda – including historic deregulation, fair trade, and Working Family Tax Cuts that have already restored opportunity and investment on Main Street. Today, small business optimism is above its 52-year average.

In tandem with SBA’s Washington, D.C. National Awards Ceremony on May 3, the agency will also host a virtual summit to offer resources and training to small business owners across the country. Administrator Loeffler will also embark on a nationwide roadshow to highlight exceptional job creators throughout the week in states including Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia.

The following awards will be presented during the National Awards Ceremony on May 3:

• Small Business Person of the Year 

• Exporter of the Year 

• Small Business Manufacturer of the Year 

• Rural Small Business of the Year 

• Blue-Collar Small Business of the Year 

• Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery 

• Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation 

• Veterans Business Outreach Center Excellence in Service 

• Women’s Business Center of Excellence   

• SCORE National Chapter of the Year 

Details on National Small Business Week, the award winners, and the virtual summit are featured on www.sba.gov/NSBW and will be updated as additional information and activities are confirmed. Local events will be featured on www.sba.gov/events and are identifiable by searching #SmallBusinessWeek.  

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About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov. 

Cosponsorship Authorization #26-1-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. As part of National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration takes the opportunity to highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and community members from all 50 states and U.S. territories. 

State/Territory Small Business Persons of the Year

State/Territory	Business name	Owner	City
Alabama	Seabrook Solutions	Lang Sims	Huntsville
Alaska	Firebrand BBQ	Stephanie Higgins and John Higgins	Seward
Arizona	The Best Taquito	Alma Ornelas	Yuma
Arkansas	Gateway Family Therapy Services PLLC	LaQuita Norris	Benton
California	Village Pet & Feed	Devon Julian	Santee
Colorado	Scottish Stained Glass LLC	Martin Faith	Centennial
Connecticut	Outsourced Risk Management Solutions	Derek Ezovski	West Hartford
Delaware	Bayside Gymnastics	Jennifer McEntire	Milford
District of Columbia	JLAN Solutions	Ronnette Meyers	Washington, DC
Florida	Sunshine Rail Service LLC	Douglas Fournier and Joseph Fournier	Palatka
Georgia	Collins Manufacturing Company	Gwen Collins and Larry Collins II	Macon
Guam	Pacific Rim Constructors Inc.	Keith Stewart	Tamuning
Hawaii	Sun Construction Inc.	Jeremiah Leonard	Hilo
Idaho	Protech Fence	Dallin Jolley, Morgan Jolley and Scott Jolley	Shelley
Illinois	CharCharms	Charlotte Trecartin	Lake Zurich
Indiana	Huber Winery & Starlight Distillery	Dana Huber and Ted Huber	Borden
Iowa	Groom Curriculum	Sierra Elbert and Patricia Pierce	Emmetsburg
Kansas	Harlow Aerostructures LLC	Phillip Friedman, Matt Augustine, Dale Sparks and David Hunter	Wichita
Kentucky	Kentucky Thermal Institute	John Harnage	Bowling Green
Louisiana	LC Transport Services LLC	Jordanna Coleman and Louis Coleman Sr.	Prairieville
Maine	Custom Composites Technologies Inc.	Maureen Hassett, Stephen Hassett and Nathaniel Hassett	Bath
Maryland	All About Me Adult Day Care Program LLC	Jaime White	North East
Massachusetts	Corso Plumbing and Heating	Bryan Corso	Haverhill
Michigan	Mettle Ops	Kathryn Bigelow	Madison Heights
Minnesota	Innovative Foam	Dean Bertram	Hutchinson
Mississippi	Strands of Faith	Ameka  Coleman	Pearl
Missouri	MK Machining	Tyler Kemp	Hallsville
Montana	Spika Design & Manufacturing	Katie Spika Rebecca Spika	Lewistown
Nebraska	Doors Plus LLC	Cameron Hall and Sydney Hall	Lincoln
Nevada	AmeriBrunch Cafe	Nikolay Poptchev and Rima Poptcheva	Las Vegas
New Hampshire	Hartley Transportation LLC	Thomas Hartley	Pembroke
New Jersey	Tri-State Civil Construction	Sean Xu	Mahwah
New Mexico	Performance Maintenance Inc.	Eric Quintana	Espanola
New York	Gardner Chiropractic PLLC	Emily Gardner and Samuel Gardner	Olean
North Carolina	Aviator Brewing Company	Mark Doble and Walter Everhart, Jr.	Fuquay Varina
North Dakota	Bully Brew Coffee	Sandra Luck	Grand Forks
Ohio	Humtown Products	Mark Lamoncha	Columbiana
Oklahoma	Costley Enterprises Inc.	Greg Costley	Broken Arrow
Oregon	Red Castle Games	Matthew Brossard Micetic	Portland
Pennsylvania	Buona Foods Inc.	Gale Ferranto	Landenberg
Puerto Rico	Bravada Vodka	Carlos Lopez	Toa Baja
Rhode Island	VIBCO Inc.	Karl Wadensten	Wyoming
South Carolina	ND3 Inc.	Nathaniel  Durant	Columbia
South Dakota	LaCreek Development Corporation	Chris O'Bryan	Martin
Tennessee	EOD Gear	Steve Cassidy	Franklin
Texas	Dear Heart	Nichole Lee Kirk	Wichita Falls
Utah	Beacon Commercial Door and Lock	Chad Riches	Salt Lake City
Vermont	Rigorous Technology Inc.	Diane Abruzzini and Colin Riggs	Williston
Virginia	The Joachim Group	Curtis Joachim	Roanoke
Washington	Art Anderson Associates	Nikolas Anderson	Bremerton
West Virginia	Atlas Prediction Control LLC	Madhur Bedre	South Charleston
Wisconsin	Johnson's One Stop	Artie  Johnson and Debbie Johnson	Seneca
Wyoming	L&H Industrial	Michael  Wandler, Jason Percifield, Dustin Roush and Gage Wandler	Gillette

Specialty awards

Award	Business name	Owner	Location
Blue-Collar Small Business of the Year	Industrial Motor Services Inc.	Taylor Powell and Doug Powell	Anderson, SC
Exporter of the Year	Show-Me BBQ Sauce LLC	Enrique Fuhlage	Rocheport, MO
Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery	Corner Kitchen	Kevin Westmoreland and Joe Scully	Asheville, NC
Rural Small Business of the Year	Shores Sisters Farm Market Inc	Michael Wilson and Renee Shores Wilson	Towanda, PA
Small Business Manufacturer of the Year	Martin's Pretzel Bakery	Justus Martin and Josiah Martin	Moira, NY

Resource Partner awards

Award	Partner name	Director/Chair	Location
SCORE National Chapter of the Year Award	Northern Maine SCORE Chapter	David Green, Chapter Chair	Maine
Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award	Florida Small Business Development Center at University of Central Florida	Eunice Choi, Director	Orlando, FL
Veterans Business Outreach Center Excellence in Service Award	Veterans Business Outreach Center at Gulf Coast State College	Brenton Peacock, Director	Panama City, FL
Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award	Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation	Jaci Sulley, Director	Milwaukee, WI

Last updated April 9, 2026