Florida SBDC at FGCU (Fort Myers, Fla.) – Florida Small Business Development Center (FSBDC) at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) announced the winners of the 2022 Distinguished Entrepreneur of Southwest Florida Awards during an awards ceremony on Tuesday May 3, 2022, at Bonita Bay Club.
The FSBDC awards are held annually to recognize three Southwest Florida small businesses for their innovation, advocacy, and business growth. This year’s awardees include Distinguished Entrepreneur of SW Florida, Michael Peterman of VeraData; Innovator of the Year, Jaime Zabala of Advanced Hurricane Technology Inc.; and Advocate of the Year, Teri Hansen of Priority Marketing.
“It’s so important to celebrate the resiliency and successes of all our 2022 small business finalists. Small businesses form the backbone of our local economy, generate jobs and improve the quality of life for our community,” said LaShaun Middlebrooks Collier, FL SBDC at FGCU Interim Regional Director.
Previous winners of the awards include Norman Love of Norman Love Confections in 2012, Pam Oakes of Pam’s Motor City in 2013, Felix Lluberes of Position Logic in 2013, Gary K. Mart of Global Tech LED in 2015, Chris Spiro of Spiro and Associates in 2016, Dr. Aurora Badia of Florida Skin Center in 2017, Scott Fischer of Scott Fischer Enterprises in 2018, Ryan Carter, owner of Scotlynn USA Division in 2019, and Bill Daubmann of MY Shower Door/D3 Glass.
The awards ceremony was made possible through the generous support of the Hallmark Sponsor of 10 years, Markham, Norton, Mosteller, Wright, and Company, P.A.
Other sponsors include: Fifth Third Bank, Suncoast Credit Union, Brennan Manna Diamond, Scotlynn, Path of Being, Spada Salon & Day Spa, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Fracture, Cleansing Essentials, Norman Love Confections, Fifth Avenue Family Office, and U.S. Small Business Administration.
About the Florida SBDC at FGCU
The FSBDC at FGCU offers one-on-one, confidential, no-cost consulting and low-cost workshops for businesses throughout Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. The state designates the Florida SBDC Network as Florida’s principal provider of business assistance. The FSBDC at FGCU is a member of the Florida SBDC Network, a statewide service funded in part through cooperative agreements with U.S. Small Business Administration, Department of Defense, State of Florida, and other private and public partners, and is hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University and nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs. For more information, please visit www.fsbdcswfl.org
