SBA Arizona Honors National Small Business Week Award Winners

In Business Magazine’s own Editorial Director, RaeAnne Marsh, was named as one of Arizona’s SBA honorees.

In celebration of National Small Business Week (NSBW), April 28 – May 4, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is honoring Arizona entrepreneurs, small business champions and lending partners for their contributions to the economy.  Over 99 percent of the businesses in the state are small businesses.  Small businesses drive innovation and job growth, vital to Arizona’s dynamic economy.

“It is an honor to recognize the Arizona winners of the National Small Business Week awards. They are the risk takers, the innovators and the employers that fuel our economy and daily serve our communities as mentors and leaders,” said Robert J. Blaney, the District Director of the SBA in Arizona.  “We celebrate their success and thank them for their commitment.”

National Small Business Week ceremonies will be held in Washington, D.C. on April 28-29, where awards will be presented to winners from across the country in a number of small business categories.  During the national ceremonies, two Arizona businesses will be recognized.  Austin Tsosie, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Dan Riggs, Chief Growth and Strategy Officer (CGSO) of Diné Development Corporation in Scottsdale, AZ, were named Arizona Small Business Persons of the Year.  Wilbert Johnson, CEO of Cetechs in Mesa, AZ, was named National 8(a) Graduate of the Year.

All of the Arizona winners will be recognized in Phoenix, AZ during the local NSBW awards presentation at the annual AZ Small Biz Con 2024 hosted by the Arizona Small Business Association (ASBA) on May 2, 2024.  To attend the local Arizona awards ceremony, please click here.

The SBA Arizona District Office and SBA Resource Partners are offering a series of workshops during National Small Business Week.  These workshops are designed to connect small business owners and entrepreneurs with information and resources to support them to start, grow and expand. 

The 2024 SBA Small Business Week Arizona winners are:

• Arizona Small Business Persons of the Year 2024 – Austin Tsosie and Dan Riggs, Diné Development Corporation – Scottsdale, AZ
• National 8(a) Graduate of the Year 2024 – Wilbert Johnson, Johnson’s Consulting dba Cetechs – Mesa, AZ
• Arizona Minority Small Business of the Year 2024- Patricia Tellez Olds, Kuniklo Corporation – Phoenix, AZ
• Arizona Minority Small Business Champion of the Year 2024 – Gabriela Cardenas, The Colibri Collective – Phoenix, AZ
• Arizona Woman Business of the Year 2024 – Erica Yngve, Sonoran Stitch Factory – Tucson, AZ
• Arizona Women in Business Champion of the Year – Shanen Lee Aranmor, Weld Like A Girl – Yuma, AZ
• Arizona Veteran Small Business of the Year 2024 – Edward Britt, Adobe Alarm – Phoenix, AZ
• Arizona District Office Recognition Award – Laura Suarez, Prestamos Women’s Business Center – Phoenix, AZ
• Arizona District Office Recognition Award – Annemarie Haenfler, ACS Services– Mesa, AZ
• Arizona District Office Recognition Award – Small Business Journalist of the Year – RaeAnne Marsh, In Business Magazine – Phoenix, AZ (pictured above)
• Arizona SBA 7(a) Lender of the Year 2023 – Wells Fargo
• Arizona SBA 504 Lender of the Year 2023 – TMC Financing
• Arizona SBA Microlender of the Year 2023 – Prestamos, CDFI
• Profiles of Arizona winners:
• Arizona Small Business Persons of the Year 2024 – Austin Tsosie and Dan Riggs, Diné Development Corporation