SBA announces 2022 North Florida District Office & State of Florida Small Business Week Winners
Jacksonville, FLA. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) North Florida District Director J. Malcolm Richards is proud to announce the 2022 Small Business Week winners for the North Florida territory.
“Our small businesses have been hurting for the last couple of years due to the pandemic, and some of them had to close their doors, but many thrived due to their resourcefulness and dedication. We celebrate all the hard-working small business owners and congratulate our district winners on their respective titles. We also thank and congratulate the advocates that have helped our small businesses during a very difficult time,” stated District Director Richards.
*SBA Florida local awards are judged at the district and state levels. State-wide winners have won an additional recognition.
2022 North Florida District and State of Florida Small Business Person of the Year
Mr. Dennis Chan, Owner, Blue Bamboo Canton and Bistro (Jacksonville, FL)
2022 North Florida and State of Florida Small Business Exporter of the Year
Mr. Viv Helwig, Vested Metals International LLC (Saint Augustine, Florida)
2022 North Florida District Woman Business Owner of the Year
Ms. Chaitali Pratab, Member/Owner, PI Consulting Services LLC (Longwood, Florida)
2022 North Florida District Veteran Business Owner of the Year
Mr. Randall Shepard, CEO and Founder, RSAE Labs Inc. (Panama City, Florida)
2022 North Florida District and State of Florida Minority Business Owner of the Year
Ms. Indira Vega, President and CEO, Indy Interpreting Inc. DBA CCI Group (Orlando, Florida)
North Florida District and State of Florida Small Business Advocate of the Year
Mr. Jerry Ross, President, National Entrepreneur Center (Orlando, Florida)
North Florida District Community Partner of the Year
Jim Moran Institute
Accepted by Ms. Stephanie Royal, Associate Director (Jacksonville, Florida)
North Florida District Women’s Business Center of the Year
Jacksonville Women’s Business Center
Accepted by Ms. Jackie Perrault, Director (Jacksonville, Florida)
National Phoenix Award for Outstanding Small Business Disaster Recovery (Award through SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance)
Brittany Lynn Moog, Owner/Instructor, Bitty Bubbles Swim School (Panama City, Florida)
The 2022 Small Business Week Award Winners and lenders will be recognized at the 30th annual Small Business Week Celebration on May 25, 2022. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of North Florida and the SBA North Florida will co-host this event. Central Florida winners will be recognized at a private event hosted by the SBDC at the University of Central Florida.
Please visit the South Florida District Office website for a complete list of winners for the South Florida territory.
For more information about local winners or programs available through the Small Business Administration, please visit the agency Website at www.sba.gov/northflorida or call (904) 443-1900.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or 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.
