Fallon, Minden companies only in Northern NV to earn 2019 SBA awards

LAS VEGAS — The Nevada District office of the U.S. Small Business Administration on April 2 announced the agency's 2019 small business award honorees.

Of the 13 total awards this year (including Small Business Person of the Year and three awards in the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award category), only two come from Northern Nevada: Kent's Supply Co. in Fallon and Pure Ground Ingredients in Minden.

All winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony at the Westgate Resort on May 10 in Las Vegas, falling during National Small Business Week (May 5-11).

“This is truly the highlight for me each year,"Joseph Amato, SBA's Nevada District Director, said in a statement. "The diversity of the businesses and of the honorees are prime examples of the brightest stars in Nevada's small business community."

According to the April 2 announcement, Elena Ledoux and Nargiza Mukhutdinova, owners of the Las Vegas-based company Superb Maids, were named the 2019 Small Business Person of the Year for the State of Nevada.

Superb Maids will now compete with winners from all other states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands for the national award.

The national winner will be recognized as the 2019 National Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration during a ceremony held in Washington, D.C., in May.

Below is the full list of 2019 Nevada SBA Award Winners:

Minority Owned Business of the Year: Boss Omiragwa Oroke, Owner/Manager, BB Mechanical, LLC, Las Vegas

Woman Owned Business of the Year: Nikki Steven, CEO/Founder/Owner, Ideal Foods, LLC, Las Vegas

Family Owned Business of the Year: Carol Ann and James Butler, Owners, GCA Environmental, Las Vegas

Microenterprise Business of the Year: Denette A. Braud, Owner, Braud's Funnel Cake Café, Las Vegas

Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Jaime Jill Ebnother, CEO, Celebrity Sox, Henderson

Veteran Owned Business of the Year: Matthew Moore, Founder/President, Blackford LLC, Las Vegas

Legacy Award: Karla Kent, President, Kent's Supply, Fallon

Rural Owned Business of the Year: Kevin Lindseth and Stacy Kixmiller, Owners, Pure Ground Ingredients, Minden

Entrepreneurial Spirit Award (3 awards): Michelle Beecher, Lending Associate, Rural Nevada Development Corp., Ely — Rural Award; Nevada Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Joan Rueben, Director, Las Vegas — Team Award; and René Colen, Southern Nevada SCORE Mentor, Las Vegas — Urban Award

8(a) Graduate of the Year: Debra Ann Banko, CEO, Link Technologies, Las Vegas

According to the Nevada SBA, award selections are based on a variety of criteria including staying power, growth in number of employees, increase in sales, financial reports, innovative products or services, response to adversity, evidence of contributions to community-oriented projects and small business advocacy.