Alabama, Florida Firms Hailed as National Contractors of the Year During National Small Business Week

Small Businesses, Corporate Leaders and Government Officials Honored
WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
Two small business contractors, one from Alabama and the other from Florida,
were today named the National Prime Contractor of the Year and National
Subcontractor of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration at a
breakfast ceremony held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C. as
part of National Small Business Week.

The Small Business Prime Contractorand Small Business Subcontractor of the
Yearawards honor small businesses that have provided the government and industry
with outstanding goods and services either as prime contractors or as
subcontractors. The recipients are:

* Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year, A.R. (Rey) Almodóvar, cofounder
and chief executive officer of Intuitive Research and Technology Corp. of
Huntsville, AL. This engineering firm provides management, technical and
engineering services to the Department of Defense and to commercial industry.
The small disadvantaged and 8(a)-certified business has contracts ranging from
small 8(a) contracts to contracts in excess of $140 million with multiple
subcontractors.
* Small Business Subcontractor of the Year, Susan Englander, president of EEI
Manufacturing Services of Clearwater, FL. EEI, an 8(a) and HUBZone-certified
firm, manufactures card assemblies and provides system integration for aerospace
and ground support instrumentation, communications and simulation. It grew from
a two-employee firm with $700,000 in gross sales annually to more than $7
million in revenues and 26 employees.

"Helping small businesses get their fair share of federal contracts is one of
the most important responsibilities of the SBA," said Administrator Karen G.
Mills. "For a small company, these contracts can be that critical next step for
establishing themselves in the marketplace, growing their businesses and
creating jobs. And, at the same time, our federal agencies get the benefit of
working with top-notch, creative and dedicated companies. It's a win-win for
small business and the taxpayers.

"Today, we celebrate the outstanding achievements and endurance of small
businesses, corporate leaders and government officials who are making
significant contributions to the small business community and the nation`s
economy despite the challenging economic times we face," continued Administrator
Mills.

The luncheon was sponsored by Raytheon.

Small business owners, corporate leaders, government officials and volunteers
from across the country are in Washington, D.C. for the two-day conference to be
honored during five major award events for their achievements as America`s top
entrepreneurs. The contracting awards recognize these businesses and
organizations for their commitment to providing contracting and subcontracting
opportunities to small, women-owned and small disadvantaged businesses.

Other federal contracting awards included:

Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence, recognizing large prime contractors
that have excelled in their use of small businesses as suppliers and
subcontractors. The recipients are:

* Jeff Wenaas, president and CEO, Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Greeley, CO;
(Construction Category).
* Dr. Sam Aronson, director, Brookhaven Science Associates, Brookhaven National
Laboratory of Upton, NY; (Research & Development Category).
* Randy Lycans, vice president, Jacobs Technology & ESTS Group General Manager
of Huntsville, AL; (Services Category)
* Gloria D. Mencer, program manager, Socioeconomic Programs Office, B&W
Technical Services Y-12, LLC of Oak Ridge, TN; (Manufacturing Category).

Frances Perkins Vanguard Award, honoring government and industry for excellence
in the use of women-owned small businesses as prime contractors and
subcontractors.

The recipient is:

* William Thornton III, manager of Procurement Operations, BWXT LLC Y-12, Y-12
National Security Complex of Oak Ridge, TN.

Surety Bond Award, honoring a surety company for the support it provides to
small contractors who need help securing bid and performance bonds. The
recipients are:

* Bill King, President and Bob Cave, executive VP and chief underwriting
officer, SureTec Insurance Company of Houston, TX.

Small Business Week featured a series of forums on Energy (Going Green),
Business Financing and Social Media, designed to help entrepreneurs with
current, real-world issues that impact their businesses. There was also a
townhall forum to discuss small business concerns.

For additional details on Small Business Week 2009, including a full schedule of
events and information on all award winners, visit
http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/.

The U.S. Small Business Administration thanks the cosponsors of National Small
Business Week and related events:

SCORE, Sam`s Club, Symantec Corporation , Ford , Raytheon, Administaff, Visa,
Sage, IBM,HP, Trend Micro, Lockheed Martin, Verio, Moran Media Group, D&B,
Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC), National Association
of Development Companies (NADCO), National Association ofGovernment Guaranteed
Lenders (NAGGL), National Small Business Association (NSBA), Small Business
Entrepreneurship Council (SBEC), Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), and
National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE)

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 2 weeks in advance, by
contacting sbw@sba.gov. Cosponsorship Authorization #SBW2009

Release Number: 09-32

U.S. Small Business Administration
Tiffani S. Clements, 202-401-0035
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

Copyright Business Wire 2009