News - April 28, 2010

The Tulsa Metro Chamber announced today the winners of its annual Small Business Awards at a luncheon and program at the Tulsa Marriott Southern Hills. Recipients were selected by the Chamber's Small Business Council from nominees that exhibited entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to create jobs in the Tulsa area.

"We know from experience that economic downturns create more opportunities for small businesses to start up and grow," said Don Walker, chairman of the Tulsa Metro Chamber's Board of Directors and president and CEO of Arvest Bank. "Those of you who have taken the challenge and are building your own businesses will hopefully be inspired by meeting our nominees and our award winners today."

Small businesses are essential to the American economy, providing the engine that drives innovation and creating the majority of jobs. In fact, 80 percent of Tulsa's business community consists of small businesses with 10 or fewer employees.

Brad Frank, President of Tulsa Tube Bending, was the keynote speaker of the event and shared his experiences of building his small business by creating a culture of cooperation and service to others.

DC Roberts, Senior Director of Sales, Williams & Williams Worldwide Real Estate Auction, emceed the awards program.

The award winners are:

• Small Business Person of the Year – Bill Fournet, president and CEO, The Persimmon Group.
• Home-Based Business Champion - Marilyn Boyce, founder and president, Ambitious Web Services.
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Kelsy Eakin, president and CEO, Keltech.
• Small Business Financial Services Champion - Sean Kouplen, president and CEO, Regent Bank.
• Minority Small Business Champion of the Year – Majick RavenHawk, Ph.D., founder and CEO, Engage Life and RiverHawk International.
• Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year – Matt Stiner, Assistant to the Mayor, City of Tulsa
• Women in Business Champion – Shannon Wilburn, president and CEO, Just Between Friends.

Small Business benefactor sponsors are AVB Bank, Bank of Oklahoma and IBC Bank. Sponsors for the awards include Tulsa Marriott Southern Hills, CommunityCare, Cubic, Emerge Interactive Media, Greater Tulsa Reporter Newspapers, The Journal Record, TulsaPeople and The Tulsa World.