The Kansas City metropolitan area is fast becoming the “Most Entrepreneurial City” in the nation, and this year’s National Small Business Week is a great example of that.
Kansas City has been chosen by the U.S. Small Business Administration as one of only three sites outside of Washington, D.C., to hold a 2014 National Small Business Week celebration—ours will be on May 13 at Burns & McDonnell’s world headquarters. We are so appreciative of having Burns & Mac as a national sponsor!
National Small Business Week is a time to celebrate entrepreneurs, especially the winners of the Small Business Person of the Year competition. The SBA names a state-level Small Business Person of the Year winner in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.
Nominees are judged on staying power, increases in hiring and sales, current and past financial performance, innovation in their products or services, their response to adversity, and contributions to community-oriented projects. All have received SBA assistance.
Nilson Goes, the owner of Infinite Energy Construction of Kansas City, is Missouri’s SBA Small Business Person of the Year for 2014. Goes will join the other honorees in Washington, D.C., on May 15-16, when one of them will be selected as the National Small Business Person of the Year.
Nilson is a terrific success story. An immigrant to the United States from Brazil, he completed his doctorate degree
in electrical engineering in 1987 and started his company with two employees in the basement of his Blue Springs home. Infinite Energy Construction now has more than 40 employees in four offices around the country.
The Kansas SBA Small Business Person of the Year winner is Alex Harb of Wichita, also an immigrant to the United States. He founded Ribbit Computers LLC, and now has 55 employees in five retail and computer repair stores.
Both of these owners used free SBAresources and SBA-guaranteed lending, as well as other resources in their communities, to build their businesses. They wanted all the help they could get. Their attitudes and actions, and their belief that the American Dream could happen for them, serve as guideposts for anyone looking to create and grow their own business. They represent a lesson about the road to success on an entrepreneurial adventure.
In this guide, produced by Thinking Bigger Business Media, you will find a myriad of information and resources. Use this publication to jump-start your adventure!
