The National Association of Women Business Owners-Santa Barbara Chapter announced that nominations are now open for the second annual Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards, a gala awards dinner that will be held May 11.
The group will honor outstanding Santa Barbara women entrepreneurs in eight categories to recognize their contributions to the community and the economy. The categories are health/fitness/beauty, professional services, publishing/communications/media, real estate/construction, science/technology/manufacturing, tourism/hospitality, wholesale/retail and Rock Star, given to a top-level woman entrepreneur/mentor in Santa Barbara County.
The nominations are open to any woman business owner in Santa Barbara County, regardless of the size of her business.
“Being a member of NAWBO-SB is not a requirement for being nominated or winning,” said Cathy Feldman, NAWBO-SB Foundation board chairwoman. “Anyone can nominate herself or someone else just by going to our Web site, www.nawbo-sbfoundation.org and clicking on the form. But nominations close on Feb. 10, so the sooner you do it, the better.”
Susan Johnson, president of the NAWBO-SB Foundation, said the judging will be done by “independent judges who are not connected with NAWBO-SB.” The top three nominees in each category will be invited to attend the awards dinner at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort as the foundation’s guests, but the winners will not be announced until that evening.
The NAWBO-SB Foundation awards event is held in conjunction with the Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at SBCC. In May, the Scheinfeld Center will hold its New Venture Challenge, a two-tiered business pitch competition for SBCC students and area high school students to promote youth entrepreneurship. There will be three student prizes at both the college and high school level. The winners of both tiers of the New Venture Challenge Awards will be not only be the NAWBO-SB Foundation’s guests and receive their prizes at the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards dinner, proceeds from the event will also be funding most of the student prizes for 2012.
“The purpose of the NAWBO-SB Foundation is to support entrepreneurship at all levels in Santa Barbara County because entrepreneurs are the engine for growing our economy,” Feldman said. “By recognizing both women business owners and budding student entrepreneurs with the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards, we believe we are making an important contribution.”
For more information about the NAWBO-SB Foundation Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards, click here, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 805.682.8380.
— Karen Dwyer is the public relations chairwoman for the National Association of Women Business Owners-Santa Barbara Chapter.
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