NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI – The US Small Business Administration (SBA) held its annual awards luncheon for local businesses and businesses across the state last week at Quidnessett Country Club in North Kingstown.
Officials present at the ceremony included Governor Dan McKee, Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos, Secretary of State Gregg Amore and Treasurer General James Diossa.
“This is an important week – it’s the most important week of the year at SBA because it’s our chance to loudly recognize our local entrepreneurs … These entrepreneurs really play a central role in your communities,” said New England Regional Administrator Mike Vlacich. “Over the past few years, America has been experiencing a small business boom. And the numbers bear it out. Nearly 12 million people have applied to start a new business … These numbers make it clear that we need to do more for small businesses.”
McKee emphasized during his opening remarks that small businesses are “the backbone of the state.”
“Close your eyes and imagine our society without small businesses,” McKee said. “Communities don’t work.”
President & CEO of Bullard Abrasives Craig Pickell was named Rhode Island Small Business Person of the Year and was one of 15 award winners.
Pickell is the owner, president and CEO of Bullard Abrasives, Inc. Bullard has spent 96 years designing, manufacturing, cutting and finishing grinding products for power tools used in metalworking and construction.
Pickell, a graduate of Babson College, acquired an interest in Bullard in 2000 and sought to reinvent the production over a six-year period.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pickell used the Paycheck Protection Program to maintain an 82-person staff.
The Backyard Food Company (BYFC) was named Rhode Island and New England Small Business Manufacturer of the Year. Loubnen Sukkar, CEO of the three-employee company, started a spice business eight years ago with friend Matt McClelland. It started in their backyard and took off from there. BYFC makes 31 products; highlighted by salsa, barbecue sauce, applesauce, relish, pickles and jams.
Walco Electric Company was named Rhode Island Exporter of the Year. Ellis Waldman has been President & CEO of the company for 45 years and today runs a company with 70 employees.
Walco is an electrical appliance service that repairs hoists and cranes, air compressors, welders and pumps.
The Rhode Island Minority-Owned Small Business Award went to Latte Love Café House – opened by Tony Phouaykoumpha of Scituate. Phouaykoumpha was born in a refugee camp in Laos before moving with his parents at the age of seven in 1990. After working in a restaurant for 23 years, he opened his own rustic-modern inspired coffee shop with his wife, Elizabeth , in December 2018.
Wright’s Dairy Farm, Inc. in North Smithfield, was named Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year. Wright’s is a well-known dairy farm and bakery that is a fourth-generation landmark.
Almost 110 years ago, in 1914, the business started selling milk. During the 1970s Wright’s stopped its milk deliveries in favor of opening its first retail store and bakery.
Wright’s ice cream sales are now a decade old.
“We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for our family, our spouses, our children and our staff,” Wright co-owner Ellen Puccetti said.
Puccetti looked back at the “Got Milk” campaign, a dairy industry slogan that shot through the 1990s and into the early 2000s — before crediting the efforts of generations that came before the Wrights.
“The campaign focused on declining milk consumption, which threatened the industry,” Puccetti said. “The campaign was a truly creative response. But challenges continue. And traditional milk consumption is still declining. Small business owners like us are no strangers to market volatility and are always creating innovative ways to overcome challenges and grow…
“Our vision for Wright’s Dairy Farm is to grow the brand while staying true to our core values.”
—————————————————-
Source link