The state winners for Pennsylvania and New Jersey are Joseph Santelli, president of Santelli Tempered Glass Inc. in the Western Pennsylvania town of Monessen, and Jose Rodriguez, president of Merit Investigative Services Inc., of Newark.
Should Delaware steal the show, we could always adopt its state winner, Christy Crkvenac, as one of our own. She runs the Wilmington specialty pharmacies Fulcrum Pharmacy Management Inc. and Radius RX Direct Inc.
Still, the SBA gives out many, many regional awards. Philadelphia firms won most of the ones for the federal agency's eastern Pennsylvania region, but not the big one. The 2011 Small Business Person of the Year is Richard J. Endres Jr., president of E.B. Endres Inc., a wood millwork and cabinetry firm in the Bedford County town of Huntingdon (which is more like central Pennsylvania.)
Here are the other awards:
Entrepreneurial Success: Francis I. McGowen, chief executive officer of CarSense Inc., of Uwchlan.
Small Business Exporter of the Year: Rachel T. Carson, president of Helicopter Tech Inc., of King of Prussia.
Jeffrey Butland Family-owned Business of the Year: John M. Lawlor, president of Keystone Fire Protection Co., North Wales.
Financial Services Champion of the Year: David Light, president of Agex Financial L.L.C., Chalfont.
Eastern Pennsylvania Minority Small Business Person of the Year: Norma R. Pratt, owner of Rodgers Travel Inc., Wayne.
Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year: Lincoln Strehle, director of development at the Philadelphia Veterans Multi-services & Education Center Inc.
Women in Business Champion of the Year: Ellen T. Fisher, publisher and founder of the Women's Yellow Pages of Greater Philadelphia, Havertown.
Award-O-Rama
That seemed like a lot of awards, didn't it?
The SBA has nothing on the organizers of the 18th Enterprise Awards, which handed out hardware to 15 area technology companies and people Wednesday.
