"National Small Business Week gives us the opportunity to celebrate the essential public/private partnerships, including efforts of the SBA, that contribute to U.S. leadership in manufacturing innovation," said Albert M. Green, CEO of Kent Displays Inc.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Kent Displays Inc., the maker of Boogie Board eWriters paperless memo pads and notebooks, and its Chief Executive Albert M. Green have been named the 2016 Ohio Small Business Exporter of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
"Every year since 1963 under President Kennedy, the SBA has set aside a week in May to honor small businesses and the contributions they make to the economy," said Gil Goldberg, district director of the U.S. SBA's Northern Ohio District office in Cleveland.
As part of events to promote National Small Business Week, May 1-7, Green will receive the trophy and certificate at a company ceremony on Friday on behalf of his 82 workers "so all the employees can see what they contributed to," Goldberg said.
"It's even more significant that he is an exporter, because exporters tend to produce high-dollar-value products that are competing on the world stage," he said.
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Kent Displays CEO and SBA winner Albert Green "Our region designs, manufactures and exports quality products to meet global consumer demands," Albert Green said in a written statement.
"National Small Business Week gives us the opportunity to celebrate the essential public/private partnerships, including efforts of the SBA, that contribute to U.S. leadership in manufacturing innovation," Green said. "With that being said, it is an absolute honor on behalf of the whole Kent Displays family to be given such a prestigious award during such a celebrated week."
Being named the state's small business of the year is a competitive process that requires companies to meet five criteria:
-- Staying power: "How long they've been in business and how they've grown," Goldberg said.
-- Growth in the number of employees.
-- Growth in sales.
-- Innovation and delivery of product: How they have responded to adversity.
-- Community involvement: "Do they participate in the community? Are they involved in other businesses, helping the community?" Goldberg said.
The winner is chosen by a panel of judges from outside of Ohio, he said. Because Ohio has two SBA districts -- one representing the 28 Northern Ohio counties, and the other representing the 60 counties in Central and Southern Ohio -- the winners of each district have to face off against each other to determine the sole winner who will represent Ohio.
"He is the state winner, so that is significant," Goldberg said. "Most states don't have to go through this double competition," he said.
Last year, Matt Fish, founder of Melt Bar & Grilled was named the Ohio Small Business Person of the Year. And in 2012, the Ohio winner -- Victoria Tifft, of Clinical RM, Inc., now based in Hinckley -- went on to become the National Small Business Person of the Year.
Other winners from the SBA's Northern Ohio District are:
-- Cleveland District Women Owned Business of the Year: Borbala Banto, of Concierge CPA in Cleveland.
-- Cleveland District Small Business Person of the Year: Sharlene Ramos Chesnes, CEO of InterChez Inc. in Stow.
-- Ohio Small Business Development Center Service Excellence and Innovation Center: Ohio Small Business Development Center at Youngstown State University, and Director Pat Veisz.
-- Cleveland District Veteran Owned Small Business of the Year: Thomas N. Harlukowicz, president of Patriot Construction Services, Inc. in Akron.