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

Washington, D.C. — The National Small Business Association has named Anthony R. Jimenez of MicroTech, LLC in Vienna, Virginia, 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. Jimenez, but also those who came before him such as Mr. Shattuck.”

A retired Army officer, Jimenez is active in working for veteran and Hispanic small businesses and was named 2006 Veteran Entrepreneur “Vetrepreneur” of the year. He has testified before Congress on the importance of federal contracting to small, veteran-owned businesses and met with President George W. Bush in April to discuss the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. He volunteers for a wide array of business and veteran-oriented organizations, and spends countless hours mentoring other entrepreneurs. MicroTech, LLC is a rapidly-growing service-disabled veteran-owned small business which provides IT consulting services and systems engineering.

“My years of leadership in the Army prepared me for the hard work of being a leader in the small-business community,” stated Jimenez. “It takes persistence, drive and a true passion for helping those around you. I can’t think of a more rewarding process than mentoring other service-disabled veterans as they start and grow their business.”

Jimenez is one of five national finalists, joining P.J. Goel of Washington, DC, Harold Jackson of Lafayette, Colorado, Ron Klein of Huntsville, Alabama, 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.