LED And SBA Honor 2013 Small Business Award Winners

BATON ROUGE, La. — Today, Louisiana Economic Development and the U.S. Small Business Administration announced the 2013 Louisiana Small Business Award winners at an event honoring small business leaders who exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit of Louisiana. The winners were honored in a private reception at the Governor’s Mansion.

“The 2013 award winners demonstrate the crucial role that Louisiana’s entrepreneurial leaders play across a broad spectrum of small businesses and support services in the state economy,” LED Secretary Stephen Moret said. “They supply essential goods and services that fuel our economy in every region of our state and in every industry sector in Louisiana. These small business leaders helped Louisiana outperform the South and the U.S. during the recent national recession and throughout the ongoing recovery. They play a key role in job creation, innovation and entrepreneurial growth, and we congratulate them on their accomplishments.”

To support small businesses, LED and the Louisiana Small Business Development Center Network served more than 13,600 small businesses and individuals last year, directly resulting in the creation of 924 new jobs and the retention of 588 existing jobs. The Small Business Awards recognize top performers in their respective categories. For 2013, the Louisiana Small Business Award winners are:

2013 Champion Award Winners

Small Business Exporter of the Year
Justin M. Hartenstein
AAC Enterprises LLC
Metairie

SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Bridgeja’ Baker
Creative Jewelry by Bridgeja’ LLC
New Orleans

Women in Business Champion of the Year
Elizabeth (Betsie) Gambel
Gambel Communications
Metairie

Minority Small Business Champion of the Year
D. Mauricio Diaz
Diaz LLC
Metairie

SBA Regional Women in Business Champion
Elizabeth (Betsie) Gambel
Gambel Communications
Metairie

Small Business Development Center Service Excellence and Innovation Center Award
Carmen Sunda, Wayne Aucoin, Tatiana Clay, Michael P. Cusack, Mike Durette, Christian Shane Galvin, Jerrelyn Madere, Sandy Ha Nguyen, Thoai Nguyen, Albert Overman, Mike Pennison, Dianne F. Sclafani and Erik D. Waters
Louisiana Small Business Development Center, Greater New Orleans Region
Metairie

2013 LED Entrepreneur Awards

LED Small and Emerging Business of the Year
Henrietta and Randy Bowers
SMS Distributions
Shreveport

LED Most Outstanding SEBD Intermediary
Mark Galyean, Heidi Melancon, Corey Chapman and Nathan J. Thornton Jr.
LSBDC at University of Louisiana Lafayette
Lafayette

Louisiana PTAC Contractor of the Year
Keith A. DeRousseau
Keiland LLC
Lake Charles

MEPOL Small Manufacturing Award
Jess Fike
H₂O Inc.
Lafayette

NFIB Small Business Champion
John Overton
Turn Key Solutions
Baton Rouge

USDA Rural Development Lender of the Year
J. R. Johnson, Thomas L. Martin and Andy Gilbert
Gibsland Bank & Trust
Gibsland

USDA Rural Development Business of the Year
Randall Murphy, Michael Carbo and Monroe Milton
Manchac Technologies LLC
Alexandria

2013 Louisiana Small Business Person of the Year
Vince P. Gremillion
Restech Information Services Inc.
Metairie