Small Business Awards: Rising to the Top

What do bakers, manufacturers, a printer, farmer, and a construction safety specialist have in common?

They’re all among the winners of the 2025 National Small Business Week SBA Awards.

The winners were honored during the National Small Business Week SBA Awards & Resource Expo May 8 in Branford. 

The event was a collaboration between CBIA and the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Connecticut District office.

“These entrepreneurs were nominated by local organizations for their achievements, their innovation and their unwavering commitment to community,” said SBA Connecticut District director Catherine Marx.

“They understand that small businesses don’t just operate in neighborhoods, they help build them.”

Small Business Person of the Year

This year’s Small Business Person of the Year highlighted her connection to her community while discussing her entrepreneurial journey.

The Flour Girl Bakery’s Michelle Nicholson never intended to be a professional baker. 

Despite her parents owning a restaurant when she was growing up, Nicholson started her career in marketing before shifting to be a stay-at-home-mom. 

It wasn’t until a trip to the King Arthur flour company in Vermont that she was inspired to learn to bake sourdough.

“It was never a goal to sell it,” Nicholson told Berkshire Bank’s Keith Nesbitt. “The only thing I wanted to do was make it.”

After a lot of trial and error and help from her friends and a small Facebook group, Nicholson said she eventually got the hang of it.

“That’s when it started to shift,” she said. “And as I started getting better at it, my friends were like, ‘Hey, you know, I actually would like to buy that.’”

Quick Rise

Nicholson became officially licensed in 2019, selling her bread from her front porch. 

But in March 2020, things shifted when the pandemic hit and her “fun little hobby” quickly became a growing business. 

“It got really popular, really fast,” she said. 

“And we went from, you know, 10 people, to 50 people, to 100 people, to 500 people.”

“It got really popular, really fast.”

The Flour Girl Bakery’s Michelle Nicholson

Nicholson quickly outgrew her home kitchen and rented a church’s commercial kitchen before eventually opening up The Flour Girl Bakery.

The business now includes 40 employees, and multiple buildings on a small campus in a historic section of Hebron. 

They plan to open a fourth building in the near future for a new cafe that expands their kitchen capacity. 

“People say that it’s just this quaint spot, and it’s just something that you can’t find that much anymore,” Nicholson said. 

Community Focus

She said that throughout the process, Nicholson said the Hebron community has been key to their success. 

“We’re known for being a part of the community, giving back to the community, and that’s really, I think, how we got there and the brand,” she said noting that the company has a $0 marketing budget. 

“Instead, our strategy is that we say yes to everyone that comes to us.”

“Small businesses are a powerful force for good.”

Nicholson

“When you’re a community business, that’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to support the community.”

Nicholson recently represented Connecticut as the Small Business Person of the Year. during a trip to Washington, D.C.

She called it a humbling experience to be around so many entrepreneurs from across the country. 

“Small businesses are a powerful force for good,” Nicholson said. “They are the backbone of our economy, and they are the heart of our country.”

National Exporter of the Year

Nicholson was not the only small business representing Connecticut in Washington, D.C. 

The SBA named Bauer, Inc. the Connecticut, New England, and National Exporter of the Year.

The Bristol-based aerospace components manufacturer recently marked its 100th anniversary. 

The company exports their equipment globally with customers including the U.S. military, Pratt & Whitney, Lockheed Martin, UTC Aerospace Systems, and commercial airlines.

“This award reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire team, both past and present,” said Bauer senior vice president Michael Auletta.

“It also reflects the strength and resilience of American small businesses, businesses that are willing to adapt, compete and lead on a global stage.”

Expanding Borders

Auletta said the company’s commitment to exporting began in the 1970s when his grandfather, Lou Auletta, Sr., saw the potential to expand beyond their borders. 

“He had the vision, and frankly, the courage, to look beyond what was familiar and imagine Bauer competing on a global stage,” Auletta said. 

“Our success comes not from chasing opportunity, but from staying true to who we are.”

Bauer’s Michael Auletta

Auletta said Bauer’s footprint now spans 80 countries. 

The company currently has 105 employees and two-and-a-half years ago underwent a major expansion at their Bristol facility.

“Our success comes not from chasing opportunity, but from staying true to who we are, a company rooted in quality service and long term partnerships,” he said. 

Entrepreneurial Spirit

The spirit of commitment, resilience, and entrepreneurship was a common thread throughout all of the award winners. 

“You have given so much to your communities, and most importantly, you’ve inspired your state with your perseverance, your self-reliance and your spirit of entrepreneurship,” said SBA New England regional administrator Peter Steele.

The other award winners are: 

• Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Small Business of the Year: Gregory Confessore, Cricket Press, Inc. Confessore is the second-generation owner of the West Hartford-based print shop that started in 1971. The company offers high-end printing solutions and promotional products to industries across the country. “ For me, every component of what our business stands for revolves around the family component, starting with my own family,” he said. 
• Manufacturer of the Year: Rafey Zaheer, Medzah Industries. Founded in 2016, Matzah manufactures medical supplies including biodegradable nitrile gloves, advanced wound care products, and durable medical equipment. Zaheer thanked organizations like SBA and the Small Business Development Center calling them “the reason that small businesses like Medzah have the ability to share their story and grow small businesses right here in the state of Connecticut.”
• Microenterprise Business of the Year: Matthew Quinn and Steven Potoff, Greenmont Healthcare Products LLC. Greenmont Healthcare Products developed an ergonomic pushbar for wheelchairs that reduces strain for caregivers. The company has customers in 30 countries and even even sent a bar to the late Pope Francis. “When I bought my first business at 27 I never expected that 55 years later, I would be up here receiving this award,” Quinn said. “There’s something to be said for perseverance, and this is kind of like receiving the Academy Award.”

• Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Aimee Filippetti, Never Enough Bake Shop. Filippetti started her business at the Ledyard Farmers Market in 2019. She opened a storefront in Olde Mistick Village in 2020 that’s grown to include toast+tonic creative kitchen. “If you’re thinking of starting a small business, it’s very scary, but do it, even if it’s messy,” Filippetti said. “You’ll grow, you’ll fail, but you’ll figure out what works best for you, and you’ll fall in love with the chaos.”
• Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year: Chris Pacheco, Seacoast Mushrooms. After serving in the U.S. Pacheco joined the corporate world but quickly discovered a new passion and started his business growing gourmet mushrooms. The company now produces up to 800 pounds of mushrooms each week in its 12,000 square foot facility in Stonington. “It’s an honor to receive this award that represents the veterans across the great state of Connecticut,” Pacheco said. “These are the folks who served their country then and are serving their communities now.”
• Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year: Elizabeth Calvanese, Goggin Safety Services LLC. Calvanese started her company after discovering a passion for ergonomics and preventing jobsite industries. The company provides on-site safety inspections and training for the construction industry. Calvanese said she’s also working to bring more women into the construction industry. “We’re looking at about 11% of women that are actually in construction,” she said. “We’re hoping to keep this number moving forward and up.”

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The National Small Business Week SBA Awards & Resource Expo was produced by CBIA and the Connecticut District SBA and made possible through the generous support of Berkshire Bank and M&T Bank, with additional support from Liberty Bank, Ives Bank, Webster Bank, Comcast Business, and BDC Capital/CDC New England.