SCORE to Honor Outstanding Small Businesses, Non-Profits and Supporters at 7th Annual SCORE Awards

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — SCORE, – www.SCORE.org – announces the 2015 SCORE Awards taking place on September 17, 2015 in Washington, DC. The seventh annual awards gala recognizes exceptional American small business owners and non-profit organizations whose success has helped to impact our nation, and who have achieved this success in part through SCORE’s services. SCORE offers free small business advice through its nationwide network of 11,000+ volunteer mentors and through its comprehensive database of free webinars, templates, and tools at www.SCORE.org. Clients who have utilized these services and have been able to create new jobs, grow revenue, and realize their goals as small business owners will be among the award recipients.

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“We are proud and excited to once again shine the spotlight on the small businesses and supporters that are changing the landscape of entrepreneurship in America,” said SCORE CEO Ken Yancey. “Every year our SCORE Award winners show us how bright the future of small business is in this country and how SCORE mentors are helping make that future even brighter.”

John Wandishin, Vice President of Marketing at Brother International, will serve as the Chair of the 2015 SCORE Awards. Brother (www.brother.com) is an industry leading provider of small and mid-sized business printing and imaging solutions developed to help increase productivity, improve workflow, and enhance organizational efficiency, all while helping to reduce costs.

“Brother is in the business of helping small business owners succeed,” Wandishin said. “It is a thrill to partner with SCORE in celebrating American small businesses that have found their success. I know in doing so we will inspire other entrepreneurs to launch new businesses or grow existing companies.”

The complete list of this year’s award categories is as follows:

— American Manufacturing Award–An outstanding small business that manufactures a finished good or product in the United States including Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. — Innovative Award–An outstanding small business that innovates in use of technology for products, service delivery, placement, marketing channel, partnership, or other critical aspect of business functions. — Community Impact Award–An outstanding non-profit or for-profit small business that provides a substantial benefit to those in need, people who are historically alienated or disadvantaged or otherwise provides charitable or educational benefits to a broad segment of people locally, nationally, or internationally besides shareholders who otherwise could not obtain this benefit. — Diversity Award–An outstanding small business owned predominantly by a member of a minority racial group; by a disabled person; by an immigrant; and/or by an LGBT person. — Woman in Business Award–An outstanding small business owned predominantly by a woman or women. — Green Business Award–An outstanding small business that uses green technology or that produces environmentally sustainable products or services. — Franchise Award –An outstanding small business with a franchise ownership model. — American Warrior Award–An outstanding small business owned predominantly by an active duty or veteran member of the US military or US Coast Guard. — Young Entrepreneur Award–An outstanding small business owned predominantly by a person or people age 30 or younger. — Job Creator Award–An outstanding small business that has created a substantial number of new jobs over the last 12 to 24 months. — Encore Entrepreneur Award–An outstanding small business owned predominantly by a person or people age 55 or older.

This year’s nomination process includes the submission of a business “selfie” showcasing your outstanding business at work. Self-nomination is encouraged, there are no costs associated with nomination submissions and all nominations must be submitted by April 17, 2015. Voting will take place from March 20 through April 24, 2015. For further details about the SCORE Awards, past winners, award sponsors or to submit a nomination, visit www.score.org/score_awards

About SCORESince 1964, SCORE has helped more than 10 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each year, SCORE provides small business mentoring and workshops to more than 375,000 new and growing small businesses. More than 11,000 business experts volunteer as mentors in over 320 chapters serving local communities with entrepreneur education.

For more information about starting or operating a small business, call 1-800/634-0245 for the SCORE chapter nearest you. Visit SCORE at www.score.org. Connect with SCORE at www.facebook.com/SCOREFans and www.twitter.com/SCOREMentors.

About The SCORE FoundationThe mission of The SCORE Foundation is to support and leverage the work of SCORE by soliciting, investing and managing resources for the benefit of SCORE. Learn more about The SCORE Foundation at www.scorefoundation.org.

Contact InformationAliana Marino800/634-0245media@score.org

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