SBA to Honor Southwest Windpower in Flagstaff
Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick will join Arizona SBA District Director Robert J. Blaney on April 13 to present Southwest Windpower in Flagstaff with the SBA’s National Small Business Exporter of the Year Award. Southwest Windpower is a wind turbine manufacturer established in 1987 that makes small-scale, consumer-oriented wind generators. With 100 employees and growing, the company’s motto is “Renewable Energy Made Simple.”
“Southwest Windpower is a leader in their field and an economic engine for Northern Arizona,” said Rep. Kirkpatrick, Arizona’s sole representative on the House Committee on Small Business. “They have grown from operating out of a garage to being a model for small businesses across the country. Companies like Southwest Windpower show the potential of small business to drive our economy and to promote the innovations and technologies that will create jobs for America in the 21st century.”
SBA’s April 13 ceremony in Flagstaff inaugurates a series of events that will culminate in Washington, DC, on May 17 when Southwest Windpower will be recognized during National Small Business Week.
Annually, the U.S. Small Business Administration honors Arizona entrepreneurs and small business champions for their contributions to the economy. “Over 97 percent of the businesses in the state are small businesses and have proven, year after year, to be the greatest sources of the innovation, jobs and growth that is needed to fuel Arizona’s economy,” noted SBA’s Blaney.
SBA’s Small Business Week awards celebrate and spotlight the entrepreneurial spirit and community activism that has long characterized the small business community of Arizona. As risk takers, innovators, and employers, these winners truly reflect how small businesses contribute to both the state economy and their local communities. The 2009 Arizona Small Business Week awards will be presented April 30 in Phoenix in the following categories: Arizona’s Small Business Person of the Year, Veteran Small Business of the Year, Women in Business Champion of the Year, Home-Based Small Business Champion of the Year, Minority Small Business Champion of the Year, Small Business Journalist of the Year, and Financial Services Champions of the Year.
The April 13 ceremony will be held at the Southwest Windpower headquarters in Flagstaff, 1801 West Route 66, starting at 1:45 p.m. For further details, contact Miriam Robbins, Marketing Manager, Southwest Windpower, at 920-226-6236.
Release Number: 09-02
Contacts:
U.S. Small Business Administration
Steve Hart
520-620-7042
stephen.hart@sba.gov
www.sba.gov/az
