The Seattle District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced the Washington State Small Business and Leadership Award winners for 2004.
   Rocky Wens, President of Engineering Support Personnel in Lynnwood, was honored as this year’s Washington State Small Business Person of the Year.
   Winners of other Washington small business and leadership awards are as follows: Washington Home-based Business Leadership Award, Nina Auerbach, CEO, Child Care Resources, Seattle; Washington Women-owned Business Leadership Award, Carole A. Butkus, Director, Women’s Business Center, Community Capital Development, Seattle; Washington Entrepreneurial Success Award, Carlos Herrera, President, Herrera Environmental Consultants, Inc., Seattle; Washington Minority Small Business Leadership Award, Cheryl Jones, National Accounts Director, Starbucks Coffee Co., Seattle; Washington Financial Assistance Leadership Award, Shirley Mae Osborn, Vice President, Whidbey Island Bank, Burlington; Washington Small Business Exporter of the Year Award, Garry L. Struthers, President, Garry Struthers Assocs., Inc. Bellevue; Washington Young Entrepreneur Award, Laszlo Szalvay, President, Victor Szalvay, Vice President of Project Services, Danube Technologies, Bellevue; Washington Small Business Journalism Leadership Award, Lary Coppola, Editor and Publisher, the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, Port Orchard.
   Coppola was notified after the statewide award winners were announced that he has also won the SBA’s Regional Small Business Journalism Leadership Award, From here, he will go on to compete against nine other regional award winners for the national SBA award.
   “We are extremely proud of all our award winners,” said SBA Seattle District Director, Bob Meredith. “We look forward to honoring all of our State winners at our annual awards gala to be held in Seattle, April 8.”
   He added, that “All of these winners represent the very best of a broad small business constituency in Washington and each of them will be considered for national level awards to be announced by SBA in May during National Small Business Week, May 19-21, 2004.”
   An independent panel of judges selected the winners based on several criteria, including staying power, growth in number of employees, increase in sales or volume, innovation, response to adversity, and evidence of leadership and contributions to the small business community, and for evidence of community-oriented projects.
   “It is truly an honor to have received this award from the SBA,” said Rocky Wens after being notified that he has been named Washington State Small Business Person of the Year. “I accept this award with total humility as I know there are many equally deserving small business owners within the state.”
   Wens started his personnel training and support company in 1990 with one employee and less than $.5 million in sales. Today Wens employs 325 people at 38 sites in 17 states and in Japan, with sales in excess of $17 million.
   Coppola and The Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal were nominated for the journalism award by Kitsap Bank Vice President Scott Harvey. Harvey is in charge of the bank’s SBA department, which has been honored statewide and nationally for its SBA lending activity. Harvey himself is a national SBA award winner as well.
   "It was an honor to nominate Lary Coppola for this award. His hard work and dedication has made the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal one of the best business journals in the Northwest,” stated Harvey. “In addition to reporting the news, Mr. Coppola often makes the news by being an active participant in forums and organizations that address issues important to local business. The Journal’s mix of local, state and national business news make it a ‘must read’ for any entrepreneur in Kitsap and Mason counties. Kitsap Bank is pleased, but not surprised that Mr. Coppola is one of the 10 finalists for the national SBA award.”
   More information about the annual 2004 awards and winners, along with all of the SBA’s programs and services in Washington, can be found at www.sba.gov/wa.