NSBA honored four finalists for the 2008 Small Business Advocate of the Year Award yesterday in Washington, D.C. The finalists and winner received awards and accolades for their extensive work for the small-business community. The awards were given during the Annual Small-Business Advocate of the Year Award Luncheon, sponsored by CareerBuilder.com June 3.

In addition to highlighting outstanding achievements from the best in the small-business community, the award holds special significance this year. For the first time in 2008, it was 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 honored here today, but also those who came before them such as Mr. Shattuck.”

P.J. Goel
With a proven track-record of outstanding small-business advocacy, P.J. Goel was most recently named the 2007 SBA Washington District Small Business Champion of the Year. He has testified before Congress and has volunteered his time and services to assisting minority small-business groups. Goel has been an ardent supporter of the SBA, and has recommended increased funding for various programs. In addition to his outspoken advocacy, Goel runs a very successful business in construction, demolition, environmental remediation, wastewater field services and IT Sales and federal contracting, and has seen impressive growth over the past four years.

“I have tried to live my life by the John F. Kennedy creed of asking not what my government can do for me, but what I can do for my government,” said Goel. “As leaders in our communities, small-business owners have the power and responsibility to engage in government policies and make the overall system better.”

Harold Jackson
Harold Jackson has been a leader on the issue of small-business access to health care both through his advocacy efforts and through his innovative approaches at Buffalo Supply. Jackson routinely meets with members of Congress on a variety of issues including health care, employee benefits, and federal procurement. He has served as an SBA 8(a) mentor and has volunteered many hours assisting two service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. Beyond his endless efforts on behalf of the small-business community, Jackson’s leadership of Buffalo Supply has ushered in unprecedented growth for the company since the early 90’s.

“My many years of advocacy on small-business health care issues have been guided by the philosophy that change starts at home,” said Jackson. “As a small-business owner dedicated to the health and welfare of my employees, providing quality and affordable health care isn’t just something I push lawmakers to enable, but something I have placed the utmost emphasis on within my own company.”


Anthony R. Jimenez
A retired Army officer, Tony 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.”

Ron Klein
Ron 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.”

NSBA is proud to work alongside such outstanding finalists, as well as the award winner, Joesph Melookaran from Overland Park, Kansas