The 25th annual Small Business Week Celebration luncheon will take place 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4, at the University of North Florida’s Adam W. Herbert University Center, Building 43, Grand Banquet Hall, Room 1044. The event is presented by the Small Business Development Center at UNF with support from The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship.
This year’s event features a keynote address on “The Entrepreneurial Culture, How to Engage and Empower Your People,” presented by Bonnie Harvey and Michael Houlihan, founders of Barefoot Wine and best-selling authors of “The Barefoot Spirit.” Barefoot Wine started in the laundry room of a rented farmhouse. Without money or knowledge of the industry, Houlihan and Harvey used resourcefulness, innovation and a positive company culture to build one of the top commercial brands in the country.
Following the keynote, the U.S. Small Business Administration will present the annual Small Business Week awards, which spotlight outstanding contributions of North Florida business leaders and champions at the district level. The U.S. SBA will also recognize North Florida’s top SBA lenders with awards for significant participation in the 7(a) and 504 Loan programs, including:
- North Florida District and State of Florida Minority Owned Small Business Person of the Year: Hanan Hamed-Furqan, THREEZ Company president/CEO
- North Florida District Small Business Advocate of the Year: James Boyd Stallings, PS27 Ventures managing partner
- North Florida District Small Business Financial Advocate of the Year:Janice Bounds, vice president of SBA Lending, CBC National Bank
- North Florida, State of Florida, and Region IV 8(a) Graduate of the Year:Andrew “Andy” Harold, A. Harold and Associates president
The registration fee for this event is $40 per person. Corporate tables that seat eight are available for $350. To register, call (904) 620-2476 or visit the website.
UNF, a nationally ranked university located on an environmentally beautiful campus, offers students who are dedicated to enriching the lives of others the opportunity to build their own futures through a well-rounded education.
