Two businesses in Berks County and one in Montgomery County are being recognized in the annual Small Business Week Awards by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
The winners of the Small Business Awards in Eastern Pennsylvania are chosen by the SBA's district office for eastern Pennsylvania.
Candidates are selected from the 40 eastern counties of Pennsylvania. These awards are part of the SBA's annual celebration of National Small Business Week, happening from April 28 to May 4.
Super Natural Produce
Super Natural Produce in Reading has been named Eastern Pennsylvania District Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year, with the nomination coming from James Buerger, senior vice president of Community First Fund in Lancaster.
The grocery store was founded in 2015 by owner and president Leopoldo Sanchez.
Sanchez transformed an empty and rundown property at 1350 N. 12th St. into the Reading location of the store, according to Community First Fund’s website.
Sanchez's aim was to provide healthy, fresh food to underserved areas of Reading, as mentioned by Community First Fund.
Super Natural Produce offers foods from the Caribbean and Central America, and has a staff of 20.
Sanchez is the owner of two stores, one in Reading and another in Scranton.
In the summer of 2022, Sanchez announced that, after a delay caused by the pandemic, plans were back in motion to convert a 40,000-square-foot vehicle maintenance garage at North Fourth and Elm streets in Reading into a grocery store, produce warehouse, café and tortilla factory.
Sarai Variety Flower Shop
Sarai Variety Flower Shop in Reading has won the Eastern Pennsylvania District Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year award this year. Sarai was nominated by Alba Fernandez, senior vice president of Community First Fund.
Sarai is promoted as the first Latina-owned florist in Reading.
Lourdes Peralta, the owner, opened the flower shop in 2015 after spending two decades as a floral designer in New York.
“Offering specialized services for quinceañeras, weddings, and more, we celebrate vibrant Hispanic culture and serve diverse communities with unique floral designs and event planning expertise,” Sarai’s website says.
The store provides custom floral arrangements, event decorations, comprehensive floral subscriptions and gift services, same-day delivery, and personalized consultations, according to the website.
Phoenix Language Services
The award for Eastern Pennsylvania Entrepreneurial Success of the Year from the SBA went to Phoenix Language Services of Whitpain Township, Montgomery County. The company was nominated by Eliot Gilkeson, program coordinator at the Women’s Business Enterprise Center East.
Under the leadership of J. Nicole Martin Lawson, president and chief executive officer, Phoenix offers interpreters and translators for various settings, including medical, legal, educational, and social services, as stated on its website.
The company has been in operation since 1993 and serves the larger Philadelphia area.
Phoenix collaborates with its clients to provide inclusive language access services for limited-English proficient, deaf, and hard of hearing populations, according to the website.
Other champions
Other businesses in Eastern Pennsylvania District that won Small Business Week awards are as follows:
Pennsylvania's Small Business Person of the Year is Dorothea Spencer, who is the president/CEO of D. Gillette Industrial Services in Easton, Northampton County. She was nominated by Dr. John Johnson, president and chief executive officer at MBDM.
Bucknell University Small Business Development Center in Lewisburg, Union County, received the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award. The director is Steven Stumbris, and the nomination came from Dr. Ernie Post, the state director of Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers Network.
Pine Creek Seed Farm in Jersey Shore, Lycoming County, has been named as the Pennsylvania District Family-Owned Small Business of the Year. Chris McCracken is the owner and president, and the nomination was made by Martin Brill, coordinator at Ag Center of Excellence, Penn State University Small Business Development Center, and Tim Keohane, director at Penn State University Small Business Development Center.
The Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Eastern Pennsylvania District is Painterland Sisters located in Westfield, Tioga County. Hayley Painter is the Co-Founder, and the nomination was made by Colleen LaCoss, director of certification and business development at Women’s Business Enterprise Center East.
SBA Eastern Pennsylvania District Director Steven Dixel said, “We are celebrating National Small Business Week to acknowledge the important contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. We admire the accomplishments of small businesses and the organizations that support them. Each business is exceptional and worthy of recognition as they have expanded their business, created jobs, shown resilience, ingenuity, and innovation; and contributed to the growth of their local communities and the economy.”
There are also plans for additional acknowledgment and educational events throughout the SBA’s 68 district offices in May.
