A Vine Grove gentleman has been named the 2022 Kentucky Small Business Man or woman of the Calendar year.
According to a news release from the Small Business enterprise Affiliation, Alejandro ”Alex” Ramirez, founder and proprietor of Universal Spartan LLC, is remaining award the honor.
Soon after serving in the U.S. Military for 22 several years, Ramirez enrolled in the SBA Boots to Business entrepreneurial instruction and education method at Fort Knox just before retiring from the army. He then released his new small business in Vine Grove.
“I am delighted to understand our Countrywide Modest Business enterprise Week winners from across the state who have stepped up to build their enterprises, build positions, and energy historic restoration,” SBA Administrator Guzman explained in the launch. “Entrepreneurs are innovators and creators, providing the goods and companies we depend on and making our neighborhoods, cities, and metropolitan areas additional vibrant areas to are living and do the job. They give their all to achieve their American dream of enterprise ownership and advance America’s financial state and international competitiveness.”
As the small business grew and evolved, Ramirez tapped into other affiliation programs and solutions. He started operating with Patricia Krausman, director of the Kentucky Small Company Advancement Heart in Elizabethtown and the Veterans Organization Outreach Center, each SBA resource associates, to refine his business strategy, the launch mentioned.
With the assistance of Krausman and the outreach centre, Ramirez mentioned exporting and federal federal government contracting alternatives. Universal Spartan was certified as a Company-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Enterprise, enabling the enterprise to more properly contend for federal contracts.
Krausman also linked Ramirez with the Kentucky Procurement Specialized Guidance Center, where consultants coached him on how to contend for federal government contracts a lot more proficiently. That opened the doorway for the 1st of numerous SBA Condition Trade Growth System export grants, according to the release.
Ramirez was then launched to industry experts at the U.S. Export Support Heart and the U.S. Office of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. Since then, Universal Spartan has secured contracts in multiple nations all-around the world, the launch reported.
In 2018, Ramirez was awarded the SBA Kentucky Veteran-Owned Tiny Business enterprise of the 12 months. The adhering to year, Ramirez gained the Hispanic Veteran’s Company Company of the Calendar year Award from the National Veteran-Owned Small business Affiliation and was inducted into the Kentucky Veterans Corridor of Fame in 2021. In the course of that exact same timeframe, Ramirez also participated in the SBA Rising Leaders Initiative, an intense executive-amount sequence intended to accelerate the progress of large-opportunity little corporations in America’s underserved cities.
According to the launch, when COVID-19 struck, Common Spartan received two SBA Paycheck Protection Software forgivable financial loans and a COVID-19 Economic Harm Disaster Personal loan and EIDL Advance grant to aid the organization survive. Ramirez then labored with the SBA to receive 8(a) Business Progress Application certification to boost contracting prospects.
As the pandemic started to subside, Ramirez shaped a joint enterprise with a not long ago graduated 8(a) organization in West Kentucky, also a Services-Disable Veteran-Owned Modest Business enterprise. They lately attained a big federal deal, the launch stated.
“The SBA, SBDC and other compact business enterprise methods have super-charged my business enterprise in so lots of methods. I know they will go on to guidance Universal Spartan in the long run,” Ramirez claimed in the release.
Right now, the corporation has 12 contractors and has remodeled into a defense-concentrated corporation that presents tactical, IT, healthcare and electrical machines and materials. Ramirez also supports many local community and charitable organizations, which include things like youth sports activities and veteran’s companies. He also started the Kentucky Veteran Small business Alliance in 2017 to deliver training and empowerment to all veterans with the resources and assistance for transfer beyond the navy. He proceeds to assist the software with his time and practical experience, in accordance to the launch.
“Our 2022 award winners symbolize the vibrancy and resiliency of our nation’s 32.5 million modest firms,” Guzman said in the release. “I look ahead to celebrating these little company giants and the positive impression they have experienced on lives and livelihoods in communities all across America.”
Nationwide Compact Enterprise 7 days is May 1-7. It celebrates smaller businesses, gives important assets and acknowledges SBA companions for their assistance in delivering startups and smaller enterprise homeowners with counseling and assistance, competencies development, disaster preparedness and restoration, and entry to money, governing administration contracting and marketplace chances to begin, increase and establish resilient companies.
The Kentucky SBDC and SBA will be at the Condition Capitol in Frankfort on Could 4 for the Kentucky Celebrates Small Small business Ceremony, recognizing the 2022 SBDC Pacesetter and SBA Award Winners.