Contact:
Molly Brogan
202-552-2904
press@nsba.biz

Washington, D.C. — The National Small Business Association has named Ron Klein, founder and CEO of Belzon, in Huntsville, Alabama as one of its finalists for the 2008 Small Business Advocate of the Year. The winner will be named as part of NSBA’s Washington Presentation, to be held June 3-4, 2008 at the Capitol Hilton, located at 1001 16th Street NW in Washington, D.C. Adding significance to the award this year, it will, for the first time, be made in honor of the late Lewis Shattuck, the pioneering small-business advocate and long-time president of the Smaller Business Association of New England.

“We always have been mindful that the best advocate for small business is not an association, a lobbyist, or a spokesperson, but the small-business owners themselves—who take time out of their busy schedules to fight on behalf of small business,” stated NSBA President Todd McCracken. “As we focus on the upcoming elections and what that means to the future of small business, it’s important to recognize not only the outstanding small-business advocates like Mr. Klein, but also those who came before him such as Mr. Shattuck.”

Klein has been very active in leadership at the Huntsville/Madison county Chamber of Commerce and recently served as the Chamber’s Vice Chair for Small Business. Through his Chamber volunteer work, he worked to create, staff and populate many successful business training classes, and oversaw myriad small-business programs. He volunteers regularly for area small-business initiatives, has served as an entrepreneurial mentor, and spurred the development of a community-wide, inclusive small-business coalition. Under Klein’s leadership, Belzon, a defense services business, has seen impressive revenue growth from $331,000 in 1998 to $12 million in 2008.

“One of the most important things I’ve been able to accomplish is working with other small-business leaders to open communications and coordinate our efforts in order to best serve the small-business community,” stated Klein. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that small business is a powerful and important tool in economic development, and it’s up to us to keep it that way.”

Klein is one of five national finalists, joining P.J. Goel of Washington, DC, Harold Jackson of Lafayette, Colorado, Anthony R. Jimenez of Vienna, Virginia, and Joseph Melookaran of Overland Park, Kansas. The finalists will be honored and award winner announced at the Lewis Shattuck Small Business Advocate of the Year Luncheon sponsored by CareerBuilder.com June 3.

Since 1937, NSBA has advocated on behalf of America’s entrepreneurs. Reaching more than 150,000 small businesses, NSBA is proud to be the first national small-business advocacy organization in the United States. To find out more about the importance of the small-business community, please visit NSBA’s Small Business: 70 Million Strong…And Voting campaign at www.nsba.biz/vote.