LANSING – Nominations for the sixth annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business recognition program for entrepreneurs and supporters of small business are now open. In addition, the applications for the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch are also being accepted. Application deadline is Nov. 9.
“In years past, we?ve always held one week in reserve,” said Jennifer Deamud, the marketing manager for the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center. “We wanted to acquire more nominations. In looking at our schedule, we’re very flexible with our deadlines. We’re not judging the contest until December.
“As of last Monday we’ve exceeded the nominations of last year. We have close to 120 nominations in so far. We want to make sure we have the best the elite companies in Michigan that our judges can select from.”
Small businesses are job creators which are vital to the growth of Michigan’s economy. The support small businesses and entrepreneurs have given to Michigan’s economy is to be acknowledged and celebrated. Five of the founders that support and celebrate entrepreneurism in Michigan have banded together to create Michigan Celebrates Small Business, the state’s premier awards ceremony for entrepreneurs and small business leaders. Business owners, entrepreneurs, and supporters of small business are encouraged to join us on April 29th, 2010 to acknowledge the award winners from across the state.
Michigan Celebrates Small Business is a cooperative effort of the U.S. Small Business Administration – Michigan, the Small Business Association of Michigan, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center and the Edward Lowe Foundation.
Awards are available in the following categories:
Small Business Awards:
Small Business Person of the Year
Entrepreneurial Success Award
Family-Owned Business of the Year
Small Business Exporter
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Small Business Champion Awards:
Financial Services Champion of the Year
Home-Based Business Champion of the Year
Michigan Small Business Counselor of the Year
Minority Small Business Champion of the Year
Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year
Women In Business Champion of the Year
Additional Awards:
Main Street USA Best Small Business Award
Government Contract Award
Innovation Award
In addition, the Michigan Celebrates Small Business awards include Michigan 50 Companies to Watch. This program is sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation and each year recognizes and celebrates the contributions, innovation and energy of 50 diverse second-stage companies in Michigan. Besides demonstrating growth in employee and revenues, these companies are remarkable for high performance in their marketplace, innovative products, unique processes or philanthropic actions. This award seeks companies from a range of industries and from all regions of Michigan.
Winners will be recognized April 29, 2010, at the Michigan Celebrates Small Business event and dinner at the Lansing Center in downtown Lansing.
Underwriters for this year’s Michigan Celebrates Small Business are National City, Clark Hill PLC Attorneys at Law, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, IBM and Dynamic Edge, Inc. Media partners are MiBiz, Crain’s Detroit Business, Upper Peninsula Business Today, MITechNews.com, WWJ Newsradio 950 and The Daily Dash, and the Greater Lansing Business Monthly.
Nomination forms are available now at MichiganCelebrates.Biz
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