Shawn Boyer named National Small Business Person of the Year
State winners from Indiana, South Carolina and Illinois are runners-upWashington, D.C., April 22, 2008 / PRNewswire – A young lawyer who recognized a business niche when a friend had trouble finding an internship was today named National Small Business Person of the Year for turning his idea into a multi-million dollar Web site.
The announcement was made during ceremonies at the U.S. Small Business Administration's celebration of National Small Business Week 2008.
"Shawn Boyer is a perfect example of the creativity and inspiration it takes to become a highly successful entrepreneur in America today," said SBA Administrator Steve Preston. "He identified an unmet need and filled it, and today, barely eight years later, his company, SnagAJob.com, has become a hugely successful site for posting and finding hourly and part-time jobs, connecting millions of registered job seekers with active job listings.
"In doing so, Shawn demonstrated the qualities that make small businesses such a powerful force in the American economy, and in their communities," Preston said.
First runner-up is Angela R. Timm, founder and CEO of Cottage Garden, Inc., in Bainbridge, Ind. Two entrepreneurs tied for second runner-up: Deborah Moore, founder and CEO of AccuStat EMR of Myrtle Beach, S.C., and George Burciaga, founder and CEO of smarTECHS.net, of Chicago, Ill.
The National Small Business Person of the Year and runners-up were selected from among the 53 state small business winners, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, who are being honored this week in Washington, D.C, as part of National Small Business Week. The awards were announced at today's national Awards Luncheon, sponsored by Sam's Club at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
The top winner, Shawn Boyer, 36, was working as a transactional attorney for a Washington, D.C., law firm when a friend asked him to go online to help look for a summer internship. He was surprised not to find many sites geared towards internships or hourly jobs, and thus was born his idea. When it became obvious that no one was fulfilling this need, Shawn researched the business, left his job as a lawyer and started the company.
In barely eight years, SnagAJob.com has become a hugely successful part-time and hourly job-posting site, connecting millions of registered job seekers with active job postings. The business started in 2000 with two full-time employees crammed into a 1,000-square-foot space in a medical office park. Today it boasts 110 full-time "snaggers" in a 35,000-square-foot SiliconValley-like facility overlooking a lake in Richmond. Revenues have grown each year, and the company became profitable after its fourth year. Yet Shawn's passion goes beyond the bottom line, leading him to a level of volunteerism and community involvement that has become a big part of the drive behind his company's success.
The winners are selected on their record of stability, growth in employment and sales, financial condition, innovation, response to adversity and community service. For more information on these companies and on the rest of the state Small Business Person of the Year award winners, visit the SBA Web site at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com. The Web site also includes additional information on Small Business Week 2008, including information on all award winners.
The U.S. Small Business Administration thanks the following cosponsors of National Small Business Week and related events: Sam's Club, Administaff, Raytheon, IBM, Chevron, The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Cisco, Lockheed Martin, Salesforce, Lowe's, Banco Popular, Minority Business Development Agency, General Service Administration, MyBizHomepage, Dun & Bradstreet, National Association of Development Companies, Direct Selling Education Foundation, Association of Small Business Development Centers, National Small Business Association, Federal Allies Institute, SCORE, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, National Federation of Independent Businesses, Consumer Energy Alliance, and FedSources.
The U.S. Small Business Administration's participation in this cosponsored activity does not constitute an express or implied endorsement of any cosponsor's, donor's, grantee's, contractor's or participant's opinions, products, or services. All SBA programs and cosponsored programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable arrangements for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least two weeks in advance, by contacting sbw@sba.gov. Cosponsorship Authorization #SBW2008.