Through a virtual ceremony that took place Monday, May 9, the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) made an important recognition to the best representatives of its flagship program “Boots to Business Instructors,” an initiative of this agency to support veteran-owned small businesses.

Larry Stubblefield, Associate Administrator of the Office of Veterans Business Development, pointed:

We are proud to recognize the efforts of our Boots to Business instructors, the backbone of our entrepreneurial program.

What is Boots to Business?

It is the business track of the Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program.

This program, created in 2013 by the SBA, provides services to more than 150,000 transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses.

Interested parties can access the courses through SBA district offices, resource partners and grant partners.

“It is the unwavering dedication and inspiring passion of instructors such as these that has played an integral role in successfully impacting the lives of our service members, veterans, and military spouses through the Boots to Business program,” said Stubblefield.

Winners

The SBA announced six winners for the "Boots to Business (B2B) Instructor of the Year" award, a recognition that honors the best of its partner network for their excellence in teaching.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, helping small businesses, often from underserved communities such as veteran-owned small businesses, has been a key priority,” it is pointed out from SBA.

Here is the list of this year's winners:

• Don Jackson, SBA Minnesota District Office
• Tim Craig, Veterans Education Career Transition Resource Center (VECTR) Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) in Warner Robins, GA
• Mary Helen Aldeis, Women's Business Center in El Paso, TX
• Rafael Reisz, SCORE in Boston, MA
• Jason Nitschke, Great Falls Regional Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Great Falls, MT
• Todd Bennett, Institute for Veterans and Military Families in Seoul, Korea

“In addition to the Boots to Business program, the SBA has also helped veteran entrepreneurs through critical funding from programs such as the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, our core traditional lending programs, as well as assistance in navigating government contracting opportunities,” it is highlighted from SBA.