Several CBIA Members Named Small Business Leaders

03.31.2011
Small Business

This past week, several CBIA members received awards from the U.S. Small Business Administration. These awards recognize small businesses in each state that have met certain criteria in categories such as job growth, a steady increase in annual sales, innovation and commitment to community. Businesses were also nominated in several categories such as Women in Business, Minority Business Champion, Veterans Advocate Champion and Family-owned Business of the Year.

Here’s a list of member companies that have been recognized as small business leaders for 2011 in Connecticut by the U.S. SBA.

Connecticut Small Business Person of the Year – A. Gregory Bachmann, president of DYMAX Corporation in Torrington. DYMAX and Bachmann were recognized for the company’s growth over the years and its strong commitment to the Torrington community and in particular the United Way of Northwest Connecticut.

Started in 1979 with about a dozen employees, the adhesive manufacturer developed a technology that combined high bond strength with fast fixturing speed, offering significant productivity improvement to manufacturers of electric motors. Today, DYMAX has over 180 employees globally with additional facilities in Germany, China, Hong Kong, and Korea. Over 30 years after incorporation, the DYMAX mission remains the same; make our customers more efficient by increasing throughput, enhancing quality, conserving energy, improving safety and reducing environmental impact.

DYMAX employees completed a challenge to collect 2,000 pounds of food to benefit the 7th Annual United Way of Northwest Connecticut Food for Your Neighbors food drive.

Women in Business Champion of the YearMargaret “Peg” Sheahan of Mitchell & Sheahan in Stratford, CT. Ms. Sheahan has worked tirelessly for her clients and is a member of the Labor and Employment and General Practice Sections of the American Bar Association; the Labor and Employment, Civil Litigation and Federal Litigation Sections of the Connecticut Bar Association; the Labor and Employment Committee of the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association, of which she is a former chair; the Fairfield County Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She has been rated “AV” by the Martindale-Hubble legal reference service and was given the status of Connecticut “Super Lawyer” in 2006 through 2010.

Ms. Sheahan is an active volunteer for the Center for Women and Families of Eastern Fairfield County (formerly the YWCA), having served on its boards of directors and trustees, and on various committees, including the Center’s HR committee. This affiliation earned her the United Way’s “Community Builder” award. Peg has been a member of the award-winning workforce improvement board, The Workplace, Inc., since 2000, has sat on its Executive Committee and board of directors and is a member of its Bylaws and Planning Committees. She has also served on the board of directors of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, and was twice honored as the BRBC’s “Volunteer of the Year.”

She is also the vice chair of the board of directors of the Stamford-based Women’s Business Development Council and served on the board of directors of the Stamford Shelter for the Homeless.

Exporter of the YearOn Site Gas Systems, Newington, designs and builds gas-generating (oxygen and nitrogen) systems that function on-site at plants for customers in over 70 countries. These customers use On Site Gas Systems to replace or augment other gas delivery methods, and many report monthly savings of up to 80%.

On Site is a private, self-funded company with over 40 employees, many of whom hold at least one patent and has been named to the Deloitte “Fast 50” for 7 years in a row.

Financial Services ChampionPatrick Lorent, Commercial Lender at People’s United Bank, Bridgeport.

The Awards are part of the SBA 2011 Small Business Week celebration taking place in May. All Connecticut winners will be honored along with seven other small business award winners, at an awards breakfast at Amarante’s Sea Cliff, in New Haven, CT on Tuesday, May 24, 2011.

Have you or your company received an award or recognition recently? Let us know about it in the comment section below.

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