SBA Awards: Honoring Connecticut's Small Businesses » CBIA

Apr 17, 2023

Connecticut is home to more than 360,000 small businesses—more than 99% of all businesses in the state.

Ten of those businesses were honored May 4, during the National Small Business Week SBA Awards & Resource Expo at Rentschler Field.

The event capped off National Small Business Week, as the U.S. Small Business Administration highlighted the impact of outstanding small business owners and champions throughout the country.

"Every day in Connecticut is small business day," said CBIA president and CEO Chris DiPentima.

"We have such tremendous businesses across our state, and our small businesses are really the backbone of our economy."

The event was a collaboration between CBIA and the U.S. Small Business Administration's Connecticut District office.

"Today, we’re going to highlight our awardees and showcase our wonderful partners that strengthen every day our ecosystem as we set the stage to ignite the American dream," said SBA Connecticut District director Catherine Marx.

Small businesses account for 48% of all workers in Connecticut, a number that continues to grow.

Since 2021, 92,000 people applied to start businesses in Connecticut, a 59% increase.

"Connecticut has a rich legacy of brave minds transforming the world with their ideas and innovations."

"You’re the entrepreneurs, the innovators," DiPentima told the crowd.

"Connecticut has a rich legacy of brave minds transforming the world with their ideas and innovations."

"And we know that does not come easy," added SBA New England Regional administrator Mike Vlacich. "It takes strategy and hard work."

It's that effort and entrepreneurial spirit that connects the 10 award winners honored during the event.

"That's what small business is all about," said U.S. Rep. John Larson (D-CT 1). "People who are America's entrepreneurs, the backbone of our economy and our industry."

The award winners are:

Top row, left to right: Collaborative ABA Services’ Alisha Lynn Simpson-Watt, flanked by SBA's Connecticut's Catherine Marx and SBA New England administrator Mike Vlacich; Element 119's Andrew Zeppa with Marx, Vlacich, and DECD commissioner Alexandrea Daum; BRVC's Brianna Regine Walston. MIddle row, left to right: Cheshire Equestrian Center's Carol DiCarlo; DICIN Electric's Cindy Hersom; Manchester Awning's Jeff Nodden. Bottom row, left to right: Hygrade Precision Technologies’ Pedro Soto; Balance Point Capital Partners’ Seth Alvord.

Dennis Nash, the president and CEO of Control Station, Inc. was named small business person of the year.

Douglas Cooper, a retired UConn School of Engineering professor, started Control Station as an educational tool for students.

Nash took over the company in 2004, moving it to Manchester and transforming the academic tool into a leader in industrial process analytics and optimization, fulfilling the technology needs of industrial manufacturers.

"It truly is humbling to be in front of this audience today," said Nash, who shared some of the lessons that led to his success.

"Hire people who you can build a relationship with, hire people who you can build a future with," he said. "Life's too short not to enjoy the people you work with."

He also spoke about the conviction they have that they’ll make more correct decisions than poor decisions adding they’ve adopted the mantra "move fast and break stuff."

"The lesson, don't be afraid to fail," Nash said. "Embrace it."

As national SBA award winners, Hersom and Alvord were both honored at a recent ceremony in Washington, D.C.

The National Small Business Week SBA Awards & Resource Expo was produced by CBIA and the Connecticut District SBA and made possible by Liberty Bank, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Connecticut Wealth Management, with additional support from Live Oak Bank, BDC Capital/CDC New England, Savings Bank of Danbury, M&T Bank, Comcast, Berkshire Bank, and Webster Bank.

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CBIA IS FIGHTING TO MAKE CONNECTICUT A TOP STATE FOR BUSINESS, JOBS, AND ECONOMIC GROWTH. A BETTER BUSINESS CLIMATE MEANS A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR EVERYONE.