Andrea Gonzmart Williams to Keynote
2024 Florida SBDC at USF Business Awards Luncheon
TAMPA, Fla. (April 30, 2024) –On Wednesday, May 15, 2024, the Florida SBDC at USF will recognize businesses from the 10-county Tampa Bay region at the 2024 Florida SBDC at USF Business Awards Celebration Luncheon. The 2024 Business Awards Luncheon will recognize Florida SBDC at USF and U.S. SBA business award winners for their hard work and dedication during 2023. In addition, Florida SBDC at USF team members will be recognized for their outstanding work.
Guests will have a chance to network, enjoy lunch and hear from keynote speaker Andrea Gonzmart Williams, at the University of South Florida (USF) Marshall Center, located at 4103 USF Cedar Cir, Tampa, FL 33620 (second floor). The event will kick off at 11:30 a.m. with a welcome from Florida SBDC at USF regional director, Carl Hadden, and continue with presentations of small business awards, SBA business awards, network performance awards, and the keynote.
Gonzmart Williams is the great-great-granddaughter of Casimiro Hernandez Sr., founder of the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City in 1905. She began her career at the Columbia Restaurant at the age of 10, by doing filing in the corporate office. By the time she was 12, she was working as a hostess at the Ybor City restaurant and continued working there through high school. She graduated from the University of South Florida in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science from the College of Business Administration. Andrea joined the family business full time after graduating from USF.
“Entrepreneurs play a vital role in shaping our communities,” Florida SBDC at USF regional director, Carl Hadden, said. “Like our distinguished keynote speaker, Andrea Gonzmart Williams, they are respected for their unwavering commitment to community betterment. They consistently strive for excellence in every situation while overcoming challenges along the way. This event, hosted by the Florida SBDC at USF, celebrates excellence across multiple award categories, including internal SBDC performance excellence awards, regional small business of the year winners, and SBA award recipients.”
This event is open to the public. Cost is $50 per attendee. For more details, please visit https://bit.ly/2024-sbdc-usf-awards.
Sponsors for this event include platinum sponsor Suncoast Credit Union, and silver sponsors BankUnited, Central Florida Development Council, USF Corporate Training and Professional Education, SMARTStart a Pasco Program, Minority Economic Development Corporation and TD Bank.
About the Florida SBDC Network:
For more than 45 years, the Florida SBDC Network, the state’s principal provider of business assistance [Fl. Stat. 288.001], has nourished a statewide partnership between higher education and economic development to provide existing and emerging small and medium-sized business owners with management and knowledge resources that enable overall growth, increased profitability, and economic prosperity for Florida’s economy. In 2022, the Florida SBDC Network delivered 117,750 hours of consulting to 14,758 small business clients – resulting in business owners securing $446 million in capital, $445 million in government contracting, impacting 23,515 jobs, increasing sales by over $4.5 billion, and creating 825 businesses.
With over 40 offices statewide, the Florida SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Department of Defense, State of Florida and other private and public partners. The Florida SBDC Network, headquartered at the University of West Florida, is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs and is a recipient of the President’s E Award for Export Service. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for individuals with limited English proficiency. For more information, please visit www.FloridaSBDC.org.
