Feb. 19, 2010 --

The nation’s top entrepreneurs will be honored at the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week events to be held May 23-25, in Washington, D.C. A series of events and educational forums will mark the 57th anniversary of the agency and the 47th annual proclamation of National Small Business Week.  

More than 100 outstanding small business owners from across the country will receive awards while gathering for three days at the city’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel.  They will meet with top agency officials, congressional representatives and national business leaders.  The highlight of the celebration will be the announcement of the National Small Business Person of the Year.   

Men and women also will be recognized for their involvement in disaster recovery, government contracting, and their support for small businesses and entrepreneurship. Awards also will be presented to SBA partners in financial and entrepreneurial development, including best SCORE Chapter, Small Business Development Center and Women’s Business Center during 2009.

The State Small Business Award Winners and recipients of the Champion and other Entrepreneurial awards are nominated by local trade associations, chambers of commerce, other business organizations and government agencies. Co-Sponsors include: SCORE – Counselors to America’s Small Business; VISA; Ford; Administaff; Google; eBay; Raytheon; Cbeyond; Intuit; Northrop Grumman; Lockheed Martin; Verio; NADCO and NAGGL.