Missouri Brother and Sister Team Named Small Business Persons of the Year

"It is my extreme pleasure to announce that Alan Doan and his sister Sarah Galbraith are this year’s Small Business Person(s) of the Year. It was just seven short years ago that Alan and Sarah bought a quilting machine and a small building to house it. Their business, Missouri Star Quilt Company, now owns 15 buildings, encompassing 116,365 square feet. They are considered the largest employer in Caldwell County, with 148 employees,” said Contreras-Sweet.

“In 2013, the owners received an SBA 504 loan to construct a 45,000 square-foot facility to be used primarily for warehousing and shipping, as well as for customer service, sales and a photo/ catalog studio. This unique business is a combination of e-commerce and a bustling brick and mortar operation that has brought new life to Hamilton. Quilting tutorials posted on YouTube and hosted by Alan and Sarah’s mother Jennie became a big hit. The company now ships hundreds of packages every single day to customers all over the globe. Due to their popularity on YouTube, the brick and mortar shop has become a quilting destination.”

In addition to the national Small Business Person of the Year, four other state and the District of Columbia winners became finalists and were recognized by Contreras-Sweet for their superior business and leadership skills.

(In alphabetical order)

Carol Craig considers herself an accidental entrepreneur. After leaving the U.S. Navy where she served as a Naval Flight Officer due to an accident, she founded Craig Technologies in 1999. Craig Technologies is a woman-owned, service-disabled, veteran-owned, 8(a)-certified firm specializing in systems engineering, project management, infrastructure installation, software design, and custom avionics. The Florida Small Business Development Center and a $150,000 SBA-backed loan helped Carol realize her small business dreams.

What began as a one-woman business rapidly grew when the company began to market to the federal government and received its first government contract in 2005. Today, the company manages more than 30 contracts with more than 20 government agencies. It also has nearly 400 associates in over 20 different states and $45M in revenues.

The National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) presented Carol with the Kathleen P. Sridhar Small Business Executive of the Year Award in 2013. Florida Trend magazine also listed Craig Technologies as one of Florida’s Best Companies to Work For in 2011 and 2013.

Charles Feit founded OnForce Solar in 2008 and has led its rapid growth from what started as a home-based business that evolved into a solar developer that finances, designs, engineers, installs, and maintains solar energy systems for commercial, industrial, utility, nonprofit, and residential customers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maryland. Today, the company has 100 employees, and hired a full-time recruiter to fill another 50 positions.

Based in the Bronx, the company’s footprint has expanded rapidly. Under Charles’ leadership, OnForce has become the largest New York City solar energy provider. Today, the company has 100 employees, and hired a full-time recruiter to fill another 50 positions.  To hire enough workers for the growing business, OnForce has partnered with Bronx Community College to create its new corporate headquarters, which will be an extension of the college through Governor Cuomo’s Start-Up NY program.

The $7 million needed to fund the company’s portion of the project will come from an SBA 504 loan from the Business Initiative Corporation of New York, a Certified Development Company, Bank of America and OnForce Solar.

Richard “Rick” Jackson He served in the United States Army, rising to the rank of Post Sergeant Major at White Sands Missile Range.

After his military retirement, Rick began a career in the banking industry where he discovered his true passion -- entrepreneurship. His vision, as well as his expertise in dealing with high security issues in the military and in the banking business, became the foundation for his new venture.

In 2001, Rick sought the assistance of the Small Business Development Center at the Dona Ana Community College. In 2002, Rick rented a 3,000 square-foot space and started ADS with one shredder and a truck. Initially, he acquired four accounts. Within eight months Rick had to hire two more employees. Again, he sought the assistance of the DACC SBDC in 2004 to secure the first of three U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed loans.

The first SBA 7(a) loan was used to finance inventory and working capital. ADS, a family-operated business, is a full-service records management company that provides customer information security, document destruction, and imaging of historical and current business information. In 2007, with the help of a second SBA 7(a) loan, Rick purchased his only other local competitor. With the help of the DACC SBDC business advisor, Rick acquired a new SBA 7(a) loan in 2008 to expand the business into a larger facility and hire more employees.

ADS is expanding by adding franchises in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Richmond, Virginia, Houston, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona. Rick has created nine full-time jobs and also employs two part-time employees from Tresco, Inc., a nonprofit company that works with people with developmental delay and disabilities.

DACC SBDC selected Rick as its “Star Client” for four years. Not only has he patriotically served his country as a soldier, he continues to be a consultant in Baghdad, Iraq.

If you have enjoyed a clementine or kiwi in the New York Metro area, Michael Miqueli’s San Antonio Broker Services may have helped move those products from a port to your local store.

Michael, a Cuban-American, started his company in 1996 with a used truck and a credit card with a $2000 credit limit. By 2007, Michael had tractor trailers and serviced importers in the produce business, mostly out of the Hunts Point Market in the Bronx. By 2010, Michael had traded in his seven trucks for 10.

In 2011, with major company growth on the horizon, Hurricane Sandy’s damages to ports caused the loss of three weeks of business. But San Antonio Broker Services didn’t shut down or lay off one single employee. “If anything, the storm made us dig down deeper and look for other avenues to generate income,” said Miqueli. Losing the opportunity to purchase a trucking company with strong ties to railroad work, Michael reached out to the dispatcher of that company, offering him a job with San Antonio Broker Services. That move now accounts for $2.5 million in annual sales with the railroads.

In 2013, San Antonio Broker Services received three SBA-backed loans totaling $1.25 million. This enabled the company to increase its fleet of trucks and add new business. Revenues jumped from $2.3 million in 2012 to $8.0 million in 2014. San Antonio Broker Services now has 40 vehicles with over 55 employees and expects 30 percent growth in 2015. Thanks to the SBA-backed loans, the company is a market leader recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in America. Recently, the company has expanded its trucking services to include dry goods imports/exports as well as major retailers in the Tri-State area. Michael’s long-term vision for the company is to grow its revenue to $25 million, while actively pursuing acquisition opportunities to achieve this goal.

As a woman business owner in the construction industry, Necole Parker, CEO of The ELOCEN Group LLC, says gaining equal respect and accessing the same opportunities as her male counterparts have been the greatest challenges she has faced since starting her company. Necole formed The ELOCEN Group, a full-service program management firm that delivers client solutions for new construction, renovations, and information technology integration in 2006. The company became 8(a)-certified which proved to be instrumental in its growth.

In 2010, the National Science Foundation awarded a $7 million federal contract to the ELOCEN Group to perform program management services, space design, information technology integration, and facility service planning. In 2013, it won its largest federal prime contract from the Food and Drug Administration for $50 million, growing its staff from 30 to 53 employees. In January 2015, the U.S. Department of Education awarded it a sole source contract which has allowed it to employ over 60 people. Necole has also opened an office in Atlanta, Ga. to pursue commercial and government sector opportunities.

(Courtesy of Small Business Association)