Jeremy Horstman named Veteran Small Business Champion by SBA’s Georgia District Office

April 3, 2017

Jeremy Horstman, director of the Veterans Business Outreach Center at Georgia Southern’s City Campus

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Georgia District Office has awarded Jeremy Horstman the 2017 Veteran Small Business Champion in the 2017 National Small Business Week awards for Georgia.

Horstman is the director of the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) at Georgia Southern University’s City Campus in downtown Statesboro. The Center is one of 20 VBOCs nationwide.

“The Veterans Business Outreach Center team is excited to receive this award as an advocate for ‘vetrepreneurs,’” said Horstman. “As an SBA resource partner, we strive to empower veterans in the small business arena and when they are successful, we are successful. As veterans ourselves, we enjoy helping transitioning veterans on the path to business ownership.”

Horstman was nominated by the Georgia District SBA Public Affairs Officer, Lindsay Williams. To be nominated for Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year, an individual must have fulfilled a commitment to the advancement of small business opportunities for veterans of the U.S. armed forces.

“These awards aren’t just about recognizing business success, they also recognize the efforts of small business advocates that empower entrepreneurs,” said Terri Denison, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Georgia District Office. “We believe that small businesses are the economic engine driving our economy and people like these award winners are the spark plugs powering that engine.”

Criteria for the award includes: active support for legislative or regulatory action designed to help small businesses; evidence of increased business opportunities for veterans as a result of the nominee’s actions; and advisory activities to improve awareness of small business opportunities among veterans’ groups, among other things.

The winners will be honored at a luncheon, hosted by the Georgia Lenders Quality Circle, scheduled for May 2, at Villa Christina in Atlanta. To learn more about National Small Business Week in Georgia go to https:// www.sba.gov/ga

Since 1963, the president has issued a proclamation calling for the first week in May to be celebrated as National Small Business Week. There are national events planned in Washington, D.C., New York City, Indianapolis, Dallas and Fresno, California, commemorating this special time.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers 119 degree programs serving 20,673 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.