Colorado Business Owner Named Finalist for 2008 Small Business Advocate of the Year

May 31, 2008

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


Washington, D.C. — The National Small Business Association has named Harold Jackson, co-founder of Buffalo Supply, Inc. in Lafayette, Colorado, 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. Jackson, but also those who came before him such as Mr. Shattuck.”

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.”

Jackson is one of five national finalists, joining P.J. Goel of Washington, DC, Anthony R. Jimenez of Vienna, Virginia, 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.