The official agenda at National Small Business Week is now over. And the winners are … drum roll please….
Waymon Armstrong, of Engineering & Computer Simulations Inc., (pictured below, center) today was named National Small Business Person of the Year by Karen Mills, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Armstrong’s small business, based in Orlando, Florida, provides computer simulation programs to help government and private sector clients prepare for natural disasters, medical emergencies and times of war.
Waymon Armstrong, in true small biz hero fashion, deferred his own salary for three years to keep it afloat. He provides his staff with every-other Friday off!
First runner-up is Rebecca Ann Ufkes (pictured second from right), president of UEC Electronics, LLC, of Hanahan, South Carolina. The company turns clients’ ideas into finished products through design, prototyping and manufacturing capabilities. She started the company in 1995 as a home-based engineering consulting firm with one customer. The company now has 95 employees.
Second runner up is Warner Cruz (pictured third from left), president of J.C. Restoration, Inc., of Rolling Meadows, Illinois. J.C. Restoration is a full service disaster restoration company with 70 employees. Cruz took over the company, started in 1982, from his father, a Guatemalan immigrant.
Note: For a list of related articles see Coverage of National Small Business Week.
* This coverage was made possible through the generosity of DYMO and DYMO Endicia, which sponsored my attendance at National Small Business Week. *
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TJ McCue
Wow, Anita, what a cool group of winners. Inspiring stories, too. It must have been quite energizing to be part of this event this week. Thanks for giving the report from the front lines!
Anita,
Thank you for reporting on the festivities at National Small Business Week. This week is so very important for small business owners across the country.
The winners look great this year!
The Franchise King
Waymon’s computer simulation programs are truly an innovative idea in addition to being extremely useful and I would imagine that the fact that he provides his staff with every other Friday off has, most likely, been a great way to let them refresh themselves and keep a clear mind to enable more innovation and creation. Way to go Waymon – congratulations to you and thank you, Anita, for bringing these updates to us!