U.S. Small Business Administration Awards Luncheon

2024 Regional U.S. Small Business Administration Awards Luncheon & Expo

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AGENDA

MAY 3, 2024

10:30 AM - 02:00 PM

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

12:00 PM

12:02 PM

12:10 PM 12:30 PM 12:45 PM

1:30 PM

DOUBLETREE HOTEL

2001 Point W Way, Sacramento, CA 95815

Registration, Check in Opens

Expo & Network Open to Public

Pledge of Allegiance

Lawrence Garcia, CHCC Foundation Director

Welcome Remarks

Oscar Garcia, CHCC & CHCCF Vice President

Rosanna Herber, SMUD Board President

Heather Luzzi, District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration

Julian Cañete, CHCC & CHCCF President & CEO

Keynote Speaker

John Kabateck, CA State Director of NFIB

Lunch

2024 Regional SBA Award Presentations

Closing Remarks

Heather Luzzi, District Director U S Small Business Administration

2024 Regional U.S. Small Business Administration Awards Luncheon

Welcome Letters

Welcome to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Awards Luncheon

On behalf of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce Foundation, the U.S. Small Business Administration Sacramento District Office, and today’s supporters, we would like to thank you for joining us today as we celebrate these amazing individuals and companies today.

Without a doubt, the last few years have been challengin for all of us, and for

our business entrepreneurs who faced business interruptions, labor shortages and up to closures. Despite the global pandemic, economic times and inflation, our California Small Businesses continue to be heartbeat of our economy; this is why we are here today. We are here to celebrate those entrepreneurs who are dedicated and committed to their business success and resiliency.

In response to the current challenges, the California Hispanic Small Business Development Center Regional Center reaffirms its commitment to continue to support our entrepreneurs by providing expert advice, training, market research, access to capital, cost analysis, access to capital, grants, and other technical assistance tools at NO COST.

It is an honor to celebrate with you this year’s SBA Awards. Congratulations to all awardees!

Thank you,

Oscar Garcia, Senior Vice President California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce Foundation

Hello 2024 SBA Award Winners.

Here we are at the culmination of The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) National Small Business Week (NSBW). It has been a week full of valuable information and resources for small businesses and highlighted the vast ecosystem available to support businesses in the Greater Sacramento Region and around the country

During National Small Business Week, across the United States, we celebrate the

great impact of small business You contribute to the economic growth in our communities and today we celebrate the achievements of each of you!

Your hard work and dedication have supported your families, staff, community, and the county You are now part of a distinguished group of small business owners across the nation, an SBA Award winning business

SBA and our partners, such as the Small Business Development Center’s (SBDC), the Women’s Business Center (WBC), SCORE volunteers as well as the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) that hosted educational and networking events, panel discussions as well as access to capital events during NSBW to grow our small business ecosystem here in the Sacramento Region.

This year, again the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is hosting our Awards luncheon and has been a great partner in supporting small businesses. Thank you to Motherload Van and Storage and US Bank for being the main sponsors of the Awards program. Thank you, SMUD, for their support of the events throughout Capital Regional Small Business Week. We love having our Capital Region Small Business Week Events Powered by SMUD Thank you to SAFE Credit Union and Five Star Bank for their support as well

Along with our district office awards, we are thrilled to celebrate our very own Carrie Schmidt Poyner, who has been named as California’s Small Businessperson of the Year for 2024 Carrie started her journey with SBA many years ago and has taken advantage of numerous programs though SBA and our Resource Partner network that have been offered at no cost She was recognized by our district in 2013 as our Woman-owned Small Business, in 2018 as the Region IX 8(a) Graduate of the year.

Again, congratulations on your Award. I look forward to celebrating with you and I wish you Continued Success!

Heather Luzzi Director, Sacramento District Office United States Small Business Administration

(SBA)

2024 Regional U.S. Small Business Administration Awards Luncheon

Speaker Biographies

OSCAR GARCIA, Senior Vice President of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and Director of the CA Hispanic SBDC

Oscar Garcia is the Senior Vice President of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and Director of the CA Hispanic SBDC Regional Center; he is widely recognized for his contributions to Northern California’s entrepreneurial community.

He plays a key role in strategic business planning and development, education, technical assistance, and capital infusion for business growth and expansion.

Additionally, Oscar is a trusted leader in the small business community where he helps business owners understand and follow the path to starting and growing a successful business.

For his contributions to the business community, he has been recognized by the California House of Representatives, State Assembly, and the Senate. He was presented with the Counselor of the Year award by the SBA District Office and SCORE organization.

JULIAN CAÑETE, President and CEO of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce

Julian Cañete serves as the President and CEO of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce. Through its network of over 120 Hispanic chambers and business associations, the CHCC is a leading voice on issues impacting business in California. The mission of the CHCC is to foster economic growth, creating and sustaining prosperity benefiting California’s economy and communities.

Julian previously served as the Director of Public Policy and Strategic Partnerships for the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce and as President and CEO of CHCC from 1999 – 2006 and again from 2009-2012.

He is currently a member of the California Department of General Services Small Business Advisory Board, Californians for Affordable & Reliable Energy (CARE), CalTrans Small Business Council, CA Secretary of State Voters’ Choice Act Task Force, the SBDC Northern CA Network Advisory Board, TMobile California External Diversity Sub-Council, and the CalVet Foundation.

ELMY BERMEJO, Region XI Administrator

As Region IX Administrator, Elmy Bermejo will oversee SBA programs, offices, and operations in the SBA’s Pacific region, serving Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, and Nevada.

Ms. Bermejo has a passion for building and strengthening relationships while assisting people and organizations attain their goals. She has been a senior government official with more than 25 years of experience at the executive level and has established a successful record of collaboration with public and private stakeholders on a range of issues including workforce development, disaster relief, and small business. Ms. Bermejo recently served as the Northern California Director for External Affairs for Governor Gavin Newsom; before that, she served as a Senior Adviser and Outreach Director for Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis of California, the first woman ever elected to this position. Ms. Bermejo also served in President Barack Obama’s administration at the U.S. Department of Labor as the Regional Representative to the Secretary and as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. She serves on the San Francisco Commission on the Environment, The Women’s Foundation of CA, and as an Advisory member of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) and the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Public Good.

HEATHER LUZZI, Sacramento District Office, District Director

A former banking executive with over 30 years of Banking and Finance experience. Luzzi oversees the delivery of SBA services in the Sacramento District’s 22 county Northern California region.

Luzzi re-joined the SBA in 2017 as the District Director. She is an experienced banker and leader who understands the challenges of small business owners who want to start and grow companies in Northern California. Luzzi was previously a Senior Vice President at a community bank where she ran the small business lending division until returning to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Luzzi is no stranger to small business, as her grandfather owned and operated a furniture store in San Francisco for over 40 years, both her parents were small business owners and the youngest of her three children started his own small business at the young age of 11. Luzzi is strong advocate for small businesses and the communities that her office serves.

She has also held various other positions at SBA, such as- Loan Officer, Senior Analyst, District International Trade Officer, and Lender Relations Specialist.

As the Small Business Administration’s Sacramento Director, Luzzi is a champion for the region’s entrepreneurs, expands access to SBA programs by under-served communities, increase utilization of SBA services across the district’s 22 North- Eastern Counties.

JOHN KABATECK, California State Director of NFIB

For 80 years, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has been educating and constantly reminding elected officials in state houses and in Congress that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses. They often have different difficulties in remaining solvent and policies that lump all business together often do more harm than good.

As NFIB’s California state director, John Kabateck has been delivering that message for nearly 20 years in the State Capitol and all throughout the Golden State. Among his many successful efforts are:

Protecting small businesses from higher taxes and more regulations

Fighting split roll/Proposition 13 reform harmful for small business

Reducing onerous regulations that strangle job creators

Stopping “shakedown” lawsuits that typically target “mom and pops.”

He has also been credited for leading national efforts for NFIB in member gain and media positioning. Mr. Kabateck also works with NFIB field sales representatives in the state.

After graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in English, Mr. Kabateck went to work for Gov. Pete Wilson as his appointments secretary responsible for finding the best qualified people for more than eight state agencies. His reputation for spotting talent caught the attention of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger who selected him to serve as his director of external affairs. He also served as chief of staff to a legislative leader in the State Capitol.

In addition to his service to two governors, Mr. Kabateck later became vice president and senior legislative director for the California Restaurant Association. Soon after, he was recruited by America’s voice of small business, the National Federation of Independent Business, as its California state director.

Today, his Kabateck Strategies clients include not only NFIB, which brought him back to lead its efforts, but also a half dozen other groups dealing with everything from technology and public safety to veterans and health care.

A native Californian who grew up in Glendale, Mr. Kabateck attributes part of his success in working with people to having grown up in a Hollywood family. His mother was musical director for the Ernie Kovacs Show and his father produced the Criswell Predicts TV Show. He and his family reside in Sacramento, where Mr. Kabateck volunteers with St. John’s Program for Real Change and Shriners Hospital for Children.

ROSANNA HERBER, SMUD Board President

Rosanna Herber was first elected to the SMUD Board of Directors in 2018 and represents Ward 4, which includes Curtis Park, Land Park, Greenhaven, Pocket, Walnut Grove and parts of Elk Grove. She is the first openly LGBTQ person to serve on the SMUD Board.

Once elected to the SMUD Board, Rosanna was part of the Climate Change Ad Hoc Committee that wrote the Climate Emergency Declaration – eventually leading to the adoption of SMUD’s 2030 Zero Carbon Plan.

Rosanna has dedicated 20 years of her career working at SMUD in varying capacities. She served as the Director of Public Power Strategy for the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA) where she published the “Handbook on Public Power Options” for cities and counties. She previously served as Chief of Staff to Sacramento Councilwoman Kimberly Mueller, where she developed the “Trees for Tomorrow” campaign that supported the early growth of the Sacramento Tree Foundation. She values public service and community engagement – having served on the Greater Broadway Partnership Board and as President of the Sierra Curtis Park Neighborhood Association. She is a graduate of the American Leadership Forum, Leadership Sacramento, Leadership Folsom and the founding President of the Sacramento Metro Chamber Toastmaster’s Club. Other board service includes the Center for Spiritual Awareness in West Sacramento, StageSigns, Senior Players of American River College and Mercy Homeless Advisory Board.

Rosanna has spent decades building relationships with local businesses and community groups. She is currently the Development Chair for the Sacramento History Alliance and Museum. She served as a Steering Committee member for the Sacramento Metro Advocates for Rail and Transit (SMART) and on the Sacramento Transportation Authority, which decides how local and federal transit dollars are spent. She is a proud member of Soroptimist’s International of Metropolitan Sacramento (SIMS), whose Club funds local programs that uplift women, girls and the students at Ethel Phillips Elementary School.

Rosanna serves on the Sacramento LGBT Center’s “Welcome Home” Committee whose goal is to raise $5.5 million dollars to purchase the Center’s home. She is honored to have received a Pride Award from the California State Legislature, a Community Advocate Award from Equality California and the “Freedom from Want” Award from Sacramento Stonewall.

A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Rosanna graduated from Indiana University (Bloomington) with degrees in psychology, with honors, and Spanish. She also earned an MBA, with honors, from Saint Mary’s College (Moraga.) She moved to California in 1986, and her and her wife of over 30 years live in Curtis Park with their darling dogs, Kep and Chelsea.

2024 Regional U.S. Small Business Administration Awardees

CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR

ANVAYA SOLUTIONS, INC.

Shobha Mallarapu is a security expert, a Certified Project Manager (PMP) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) with cybersecurity experience in finance, transportation, utilities, healthcare, IT sectors. She has been consulting and performing security assessments since 2007 after 10 years at Intel Corporation.

Srini Atluri is a lead security consultant with over 20 years of experience in cyber security, and a subject matter expert in cybersecurity, audit and risk assessment and management

The challenge Anvaya Solutions faced was in navigating the complex landscape of government contracting. “Our goal is to leverage our expertise in cybersecurity to serve more government agencies, addressing their critical security challenges. This mission was driven by our commitment to excellence and the desire to apply our innovative solutions on a larger scale, ensuring government operations are secure and efficient” says Shobha Mallarapu, President and CEO

FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

RYTINA FINE CLEANERS & LAUNDERERS, INC.

Grandparents of Toran Brown, Family Owned Business of the Year: Rytina Fine Cleaners & Launderers, Inc. founders Walter and Friedel Schoen immigrated from East Germany to Sacramento in September of 1956 along with Toran’s mother. In 1958 they had saved enough money and purchased a small shirt laundry which has grown over the years to become part of the fabric of Sacramento. Today Toran runs the company along with his wife Katie. Rytina Cleaners is three-generations old, and they have been in business for 66 years

Katie Brown grew up in her family's textile and industrial rental business, Shasta Linen Supply, and was introduced to the dry-cleaning industry when she married, Toran. As a family-owned business, she has worked in the store throughout the years and became more involved as their children grew older.

Rytina Fine Cleaners & Launderers, Inc is a third-generation, family-owned dry-cleaning business that serves the Greater Sacramento region with over 60 years of expertise in caring for the finest of fashions

MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR JANICO BUILDING SERVICES, LLC.

Yolanda Harris never envisioned herself running a large company She didn't earn a college degree and was mainly interested in providing for her family. They were seeking new income opportunities after moving to Sacramento, while Yolanda’s husband was commuting to Bay Area. As a result, in August 1985, Yolanda and her husband, Lorenzo, co-founded Janico Building Services. They wanted to create something that was uniquely theirs while also providing them with flexibility to be present for their growing family Now, Janico Building Services is a full-service building service contractor serving the greater Sacramento region and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Janico Building Services cares about sustainability and understands it is their responsibility to minimize their environmental impact. In addition to the services Janico offers services that include green cleaning, recycling, and LEED compliance Leading companies in California use Janico Building Services for all their cleaning and maintenance needs including Enterprise, United Way, Sacramento County, and Sutter Health to name a few.

NON-PROFIT OF THE YEAR ASIAN RESOURCES, INC.

Asian Resources, Inc. (ARI) is a nonprofit community-based organization established in 1980, dedicated to providing multiple social services needed to the community and empowering everyone to become vital parts of changing, diverse society. In 1980, Sacramento began to witness a huge influx of Vietnamese newcomers following the Fall of Saigon Through various interviews, surveys, and community meetings, community activists recognized that this population was in dire need of job assistance

ARI embarked on its journey in 1981 by offering English classes to refugees, igniting the flame of empowerment. Just two years later, they expanded their horizons, introducing Pre-Vocational ESL courses to facilitate employment opportunities in the United States. The culmination of their efforts materialized in March 1985 with the inauguration of the inaugural Asian Resources Job Center, made possible through funding from the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency

VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR BOZEMAN LLC, DBA COLETTI

COLETTI's founder, Pastor Josh Gilliam, was commissioned as an infantry officer in 2000 from West Point Military Academy Soon after, he was leading Soldiers in combat with both the 75th Ranger Regiment and the 82nd Airborne Division.

Josh continued his service as a US-Army Chaplain for 20 years leading army chapels (churches). When he retired in 2022, Josh was a Lieutenant Colonel and the deputy command chaplain at the US EUROPEAN COMMAND were he lead the NATO Chaplain program

During his military service, Josh faced the reality that many people are not afforded religious freedoms, and that this lack of information creates distrust and war. Being a training theologian in both Muslim and Christian texts, he saw an opportunity to bring peace by promoting religious freedom and dialog. While serving overseas, Josh found the time to establish an ecommerce business to serve as a vehicle for change Continuing his studies, Josh studied at UT's Technology Commercialization Masters program

WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR VANTAGE POINT CENTER FOR PSYCHOTHERAPY

In 2012, Dr. Katie Polsky and Shelley Tirsbeck, LMFT, joined forces to create Vantage Point Center for Psychotherapy, a warm and welcoming group psychotherapy practice nestled in the heart of Midtown Sacramento. Their journey began when they noticed something missing from the Sacramento region's mental health landscape: quality and specialized care for conditions like Eating Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders Determined to fill this void with warmth, compassion, and expertise they embarked on a mission to offer holistic, integrative, and affirming therapy services to their community.

When Vantage Point Center for Psychotherapy opened its doors in 2012, it began with just two dedicated professionals. As of 2024, their team has flourished to encompass 22 valuable and passionate individuals, each contributing their unique expertise and dedication This growth reflects their commitment to diversity, inclusion, and delivering specialized care aligned with their core values and mission

START-UP OF THE YEAR

EXCELDENT DENTISTRY

Exceldent incorporated in September of 2020 and officially opened its doors in June of 2021, marking the beginning of our journey to provide comprehensive dental care with a commitment to patient-centered care.

The inception of Exceldent was driven by the desire, as a husband-and-wife team who immigrated from Mexico in 2010, to create a dental practice that embodied more than just professional care They envisioned establishing a welcoming, family-friendly environment that resonated with the needs of our community, with a particular focus on the Hispanic population. Dr. Miguel Guerra, after years of working as an associate dentist and witnessing the shortcomings of large dental corporations and insurance- driven practices, felt a pressingneed to open a privateoffice This officewould prioritize patient care over profit, a reflection of their personal journey and values

They are deeply honored each time a patient entrusts their oral health to them. In a healthcare landscape that too often sees patients as mere numbers, they stand out by genuinely caring for our patients’ wellbeing. Their practice thrives not on production goals, but on the principle that doing right by their patients naturallyleads to success They pour their souls and hearts into providing caring, grateful, and professional service to everyone who walks through their doors This philosophy, deeply rooted in their own experiences and aspirations, has not only shaped their approach to dentistry but has also helped them forge strong, trusting relationships with their patients.

CALIFORNIA SMALL BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR

CARRIE A. SCHMIDT POYNER

B.C. SCHMIDT CONSTRUCTION, INC.

Carrie A Schmidt Poyner, President and CEO of B C Schmidt Construction, Inc , a Woman-owned, HUBZone, and Graduated 8(a) small business specializing in general construction, roofing, flooring, and temporary facilities. Ms. Schmidt Poyner holds numerous construction licenses, including General Construction (B), General Engineering (A), Concrete (C-8), Electrical (C-10), Demolition (C-21), and Modular Construction (C-47) She has been in the construction industry for over 28 years and has owned her own business for 25 years.

BC Schmidt Construction, Inc. (BCS) specializes in General Construction, Roofing, Flooring, and Temporary Facilities They perform approximately 95% federal government construction and services contracts They established and maintained active strategic partnerships with National Account standing that allow them to pass on to their customers the most favorable pricing, terms, and conditions.

2024