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EPA Honors Small Business Champions

05/14/2020
Contact Information: 
EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

WASHINGTON (May 14, 2020) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the winners of the 30th Annual Administrator's Small Business Program Awards for outstanding small business championship in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. The 20 award recipients include businesses, state and local entities, and EPA employees who demonstrated exemplary leadership in supporting the agency's small business programs.

"In this time of unprecedented disruption for our nation's small businesses, it is more important than ever to recognize our outstanding small business support." said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. "I am proud of our effective staff efforts that will ensure our partnership with small businesses remains strong and vibrant."

For the past 30 years, EPA has hosted the Administrator's Small Business Program Awards ceremony to celebrate EPA's small business support and accomplishments. This year, in accordance with existing national guidance due to the global COVID-19 public health emergency, the agency is celebrating these awards virtually through this press release.

EPA is continuing to build on its record of excellence in furthering small business contracting opportunities, scoring an "A" over the past decade on the Small Business Procurement Scorecard that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) administers. In this current fiscal year, EPA has already awarded over 36 percent (approximately $260 million) of its contracting dollars to small businesses, almost twice as much as the 23 percent statutory small business contracting goal.

For example, EPA's Office of Water awarded its first enterprise-wide small business contract. The Office of Water developed this inaugural strategic small business program contract to increase small business opportunities while helping maximize the efficiency of EPA operations. Contracts were awarded to four small businesses:  Avanti Corporation (Alexandria, Va.); Great Lakes Envrionmental Center, Inc. (Traverse City, Mich.); Horsely Witten Group, Inc. (Sandwich, Mass.); and SC&A, Inc. (Arlington, Va.). The total value of this contract is up to $16.7 million.

The agency is also continuing to provide a comprehensive suite of resources and networks to help strengthen small business environmental and compliance performance, while reducing regulatory burden. Information on those resources is available here. Based on the agency's regulatory and compliance assistance efforts, EPA has earned a grade of "A" in the last 13 Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of the National Ombudsman Annual Reports to Congress.

Recipients of the Administrator's 30th Annual Small Business Program Awards For Fiscal Year 2019

Administrator's Small Business Program Awards

Award for Outstanding Direct Procurement Program Achievement

Jezebele Alicia, Office of Water

Ifeyinwa Davis, Office of Water

Damon Highsmith, Office of Water

Joe Jackson, Office of Water

Marion Kelly, Office of Water

Steven Moore, Office of Water

Vince Allen, Office of Mission Support

David Hincks, Office of Mission Support

Angela Lower, Office of Mission Support

Lisa Mitchell-Flinn, Office of Mission Support

Matthew Growney, Office of Mission Support

Venus Weaver, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization

Jefferey Herrema, Office of General Counsel

Award for Outstanding Direct Procurement Program Achievement

Kally Eastman, Contracts Management Branch, Region 2

Helen Eng, Contracts Management Branch, Region 2

Fernando Rosado, Contracts Management Branch, Region 2

Award for Outstanding Direct Procurement Program Achievement

Mary Peterson,  Superfund and Emergency Management Division, Region 7

Administrator Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by an EPA Employee or Group in Support of Small Business Impacted by EPA Regulations

Rhonda Wright, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standard's

Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by a Small Business Trade Association or State Small Business Environmental Assistance Provider in Providing Technical Assistance to the

Small Business Community

Wisconsin's Small Business Environmental Assistance Program

Lisa Ashenbrenner Hunt and Renee Lesjak Bashel

Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by a Small Business

Lally Consulting, LLC

Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by a Woman Owned Small Business

Clawson Excavating, Inc.

Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business

Veterans Worldwide Sales and Services, LLC

Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by a HUBZone Contractor

A & M Engineering and Environmental Solutions, Inc.

OSDBU Director's Awards

Office of Mission Support

For Exceeding the Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Women Owned Small Business, HUBZone and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Goals

Office of the Administrator

For Exceeding the Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business,

Women Owned Small Business, and HUBZone Goals

Office of Research and Development

For Exceeding the Small Disadvantaged Business, Women Owned Small Business, HUBZone

and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Goals

Region 7

For Exceeding the Small Business, Service Disadvantaged Business, HUBZone

and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Goals

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