The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has named Charles N. King, president of Delta Electric and Construction Co., the Virgin Islands Small Business Person of the Year. King will be presented with the award during National Small Business Week from June 17-22. He will compete with small business owners in the mainland United States, Guam and Puerto Rico for the National Small Business Person of the Year award, which will be presented in Washington, D.C.
“We are proud to honor the contributions and achievements of Charles N. King, an entrepreneur who set a goal for himself at a very young age and persevered,” said SBA District Director Yvette T. Collazo. “As SBA’s Virgin Islands Small Business Person of the Year, he exemplifies what successful small business ownership is about, and we applaud his dedication and commitment to his community’s economic development.”
The Virgin Islands Small Business Development Center (VI-SBDC) and the U.S. SBA celebrated Virgin Islands Small Business Week, from May 26 to June 1, with workshops, trainings and lectures, and they honored the territory’s top small businesses at luncheons held on St. Thomas and St. Croix. The theme of this year’s VI Small Business Week was, “Small Business: Persevering and Growing Your Business One Day at a Time."
The SBDC and SBA honored 12 small businesses, business persons and organizations that exemplify sound business practices at award ceremonies held on May 29, at Marriott’s Frenchman’s Reef Beach Resort on St. Thomas and on May 30, at the St. Croix Carambola Beach Resort and Spa.
The SBDC 2013 award winners on St. Thomas and St. John are:
St. Thomas Small Business of the Year – Mail Plus. Owners: Anna R. Garcia and Alvery Smith
St. John Small Business of the Year – Café Roma. President: John Hiebert
Small Business Advocate of the Year – The St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce. Executive Director: Joseph Aubain and President: Sebastiano Paiewonsky Cassinelli
The Nascent Small Business of the Year – Synergy Fitness and Wellness Center. Co-owners: Bonnie Barr and Eileen Short
The SBDC 2013 award winners on St. Croix are:
Business Person of the Year – Quality Electric Supply. President: Karl Bauknight
Woman-owned Small Business of the Year – LICA Holding, LLC D/B/A Salt River Marina. Chief Operating Officer: Kimberly L. Jones
Entrepreneurial Success Award – PC Landscaping. Co-owners: Peter Clifford and Theresa Clifford
Nascent Small Business of the Year – Homeland Collections Portrait Gallery, LLC. Owner: Dr. Denise T. Bennerson
The SBA 2013 award winners are:
St. Croix Entrepreneur of the Year – Continuum Care Inc. Owners: Mary Sanders and Herbert Sanders
St. Thomas Entrepreneur of the Year – Gasworks Inc. Owner: Jose Lima
St. John Entrepreneur of the Year – Viva Villas, Inc. Owner: Angie Smith
Bank of the Year – Scotiabank
“Virgin Islands Small Business Week is an event that promotes entrepreneurship,” VI-SBDC State Director Leonor Dottin said. “It is a week where special events take place to assist small businesses further their ideas, thoughts and spirit. It is about preparing yourself accordingly to face the many challenges that business ownership may bring, and empowering yourself to know that no matter what, you can be successful if you persevere, and take it one day at a time, always working towards a brighter future.” Small Business Week was sponsored by FirstBank Virgin Islands in collaboration with Scotiabank, the VI Economic Development Authority, Banco Popular and Marriott’s Frenchman’s Reef and Morning Star Resort.
