By Gwen Green (gagreen@ualr.edu)
April 29, 2010
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Timothy Lee and Herb Lawrence were jointly named Veterans Small Business Champion of the Year at the 20th Annual Arkansas Small Business Awards Luncheon Tuesday at the Statehouse Convention Center.
The award was presented by Linda Nelson of the Arkansas District of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Lee is webmaster and training specialist for the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Business. Lawrence is the center director of the ASBTDC regional office at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. Both are U.S. military veterans. Lee served 18 years on active duty in the Air Force. Lawrence spent seven years on active duty in the Army Signal Corp and served 13 years with the Arkansas National Guard.
The pair led ASBTDC's 2009 veterans project aimed at active, retired and reserve military personnel who are small business owners or aspiring entrepreneurs.
"As veterans themselves, Timothy Lee and Herb Lawrence brought great passion and expertise to the project and demonstrated their commitment to veterans by selflessly going 'above and beyond' the project goals. We are very proud of their achievements," said Janet Roderick, ASBTDC state director.
Lawrence helped develop ASBTDC's Ready to Go business mobilization planning guide. In 2009, he participated in 13 reintegration meetings across the state for more than 2,000 National Guard troops returning from deployment and has been active in Governor Mike Beebe's Yellow Ribbon Task Force.
Lee led the development of online training programs for veterans and ArkansasVeteran.com, helping ASBTDC utilize cutting-edge communication technologies to reach Arkansas veterans living in the state as well as those serving on active duty in far-flung locations. ArkansasVeteran.com is a Web portal that brings together in one place veterans-related resources, news, information, and contacts for veterans and their families.
Other award winners included:
Mizan Rahman, Owner of ETC Engineers and Architects, Inc., Little Rock -
Small Business Persons of the Year
Wonder Lowe, Hope Community Credit Union, College Station -
Financial Services Champion
Carmen Parks, Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce -
Minority Small Business Champion
Holly Fish, EGP LLC Certified Public Accountants, North Little Rock -
Women in Business Champion
Randy Zook, Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of
Arkansas, Little Rock - Entrepreneurial Leadership Award
Jim Sadler, Little Rock SCORE - Entrepreneurial Leadership Award
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