WASHINGTON – Administrator Linda McMahon, the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, will be the keynote speaker to kick off the first leg of the 2018 National Small Business Week events in Washington, D.C. on April 29-30. Small business entrepreneurs, industry leaders and other award winners from around the country will converge on D.C. to receive awards ranging from exporting, outreach, contracting, lending, disaster recovery to manufacturing and research and development.

Last month, McMahon announced the Small Business Person of the Year state and territorial winners who will compete for the 2018 National Small Business Person of the Year. The National Small Business Person of the Year and three runners-up will be announced at the awards ceremony on Monday, April 30.

Media are invited to attend all events. Speakers and awardees will be made available for interviews.

All events will be livestreamed to www.sba.gov/nsbw . To follow along on social media use #SmallBusinessWeek.

Sunday, April 29

WHAT: 2018 NSBW Opening Awards Ceremony

WHEN: 6 -8:30 p.m. EDT

WHERE: United States Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20037

WHO: SBA Administrator Linda McMahon will honor individuals in the following award categories:

Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award

Veterans Business Outreach Center Excellence in Service Award

Women’s Business Center of Excellence in Service Award

SCORE Chapter of the Year Award

Jody C. Raskind Lender of the Year

Small Business Investment Company of the Year

Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Volunteer

Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Public Official

Phoenix Awards for Small Business Disaster Recovery

HOW: Press must register for this event. Click here to register. Press arrival time 3:30 -5:30 p.m. EDT.

Monday, April 30

WHAT: 2018 NSBW Awards Luncheon

WHEN: 11:30 a.m. -2 p.m. EDT

WHERE: United States Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20037

WHO: SBA Administrator Linda McMahon will award the National Small Business Person of the Year and three runners-up and recognize individuals in the following award categories:

HOW: Press must register for this event. Click here to register. Press arrival time 9:30-11:30 a.m. EDT.

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start and grow their businesses. It delivers services to people through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

Cosponsorship Authorization #SBW2018 SBA’s participation in this cosponsored activity is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products or services of any Cosponsor or other person or entity. All SBA/SCORE programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.