The Gwinnett office of the University of Georgia’s Small Business Development Center was honored recently with a 2015 Pinnacle Small Business award from the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.
The SBDC became the first recipient in a new category for Small Business Resource Champion of the Year. The award is meant to honor an organization that promotes the startup or continued prosperity of small businesses in the region and goes above and beyond to ensure the small business community thrives.
“It felt good,” said Gwinnett SBDC Area Director Mark Butler. “To do this job, you’ve got to have these things every now and then to keep you going.”
Butler credited his staff in Gwinnett, which includes consultants Benny StaRomana and Amber Bennett and program coordinator Helen Sutherland, with helping make the award a reality. Butler’s group beat out fellow finalists Adrian Collaborative and SCORE Atlanta. The SBDC was notified it was nominated earlier this year before being invited to the award luncheon as a finalist. Butler didn’t know his team had won until it was announced during the luncheon.
“I did the touchdown symbol,” he said. “It felt good for the team. I’ve got three folks in addition to myself who work very hard all year long.”
Butler said recognition from the chamber is a big deal and the SBDC will continue to support the organization in any way it can. SBDC also refers a number of clients to the chamber for support.
