The SBA Connecticut District Office has released the names of Connecticut Small Business Week 2025 Awardees.
“It is an honor to celebrate Connecticut’s outstanding small- business owners, whose accomplishments standout amongst their peers. This year’s award winners embody the grit and determination it takes to succeed in pursuing the American Dream,” said Catherine Marx, SBA’s Connecticut district director. “Entrepreneurs and small businesses are the fabric of our communities, strengthening local economies and creating jobs, all the while contributing to our nation’s economic strength.
National Small Business Week honors the risk takers, innovators and job creators that are the backbone of the American economy,” said Peter A. Steele, SBA New England regional administrator. “I congratulate the winners in Connecticut for this well-deserved recognition and their role in in fueling prosperity, spurring growth and creating job opportunities across Connecticut and New England.”
2025 Small Business Week Awardees are:
- Small Business Person of the Year
Michelle Nicholson, The Flour Girl Bakery (Hebron)
- Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Small Business of the Year
- Gregory Confessore, Cricket Press, Inc. (West Hartford) Manufacturer of the Year – Connecticut and New England Region
- Rafey Zaheer, Medzah Industries (Glastonbury) Microenterprise Business of the Year
- Matthew Quinn and Steven Potoff, Greenmont Healthcare Products LLC (Manchester)
- Young Entrepreneur of the Year
- Aimee Filippetti, Never Enough Bake Shop (Mystic)
- Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year Chris Pacheco, Seacoast Mushrooms (Stonington)
- Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year Elizabeth Calvanese, Goggin Safety Services LLC (Plantsville)
This year the SBA National Small Business Week event is being planned and sponsored by Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA), in a collaboration with the SBA. “Connecticut is the land of small business, representing more than 99% of all businesses in the state — employing nearly half the state’s workforce,” said CBIA president and CEO Chris DiPentima. “These businesses are the heartbeat of our economy, with contributions to our state and local communities that cannot be understated. CBIA is proud to partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration to highlight these outstanding small- business leaders.”
The Small Business Resource Expo and award ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 8, at Woodwinds, Branford, Connecticut.
To attend, register at https://www.cbia.com/events/sba-awards-resource-expo-2025.
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit sba.gov.
