DENVER – Tomas Alberto Avila, of the R.I. Small Business Development Center at Johnson & Wales University, has been honored by the Association of Small Business Development Centers, with the 2007 ASBDC Rhode Island State Star. The award, for what the group called “his outstanding contribution and creative excellence,” was presented at the ASBDC’s 2007 National Conference in Denver.
Avila is the administrator of the R.I. SBDC’s Primer Paso FasTrac business-feasibility planning program, which was the subject last year of an award-winning series by Providence Business News staff writer Natalie Myers. (READ MORE) Since joining the SBDC last year, he also has served as an instructor, business counselor and minority business specialist. Network colleagues describe him as “engaging, forward thinking, thoughtful and progressive,” the local SBDC said.
“Tomas’ commitment to his clients and the minority business community of Rhode Island is nothing less than extraordinary,” state SBDC Director John Cronin said in a statement. “He’s a valued asset of our organization, and I’m thrilled to have him as a network member.”
The State Star is presented annually to one employee in each state’s SBDC network. The ASBDC says it presents the awards to “exemplary performers [who] make significant contributions to their state or region and show a strong commitment to small business.”
With Primer Paso and other programs, Avila “has been proactive in bringing business-development services to the growing Hispanic clients in his region,” the SBDC said.
“It is an honor to accept this award,” Avila replied, “and to have the opportunity to help so many people achieve the dream of starting and succeeding in their own business.”
The R.I. Small Business Development Center, based at Johnson & Wales University, is a statewide network of five service locations, plus satellite centers and outreach sites. It offers one-on-one business management counseling to existing and prospective small business owners, plus training, loan packaging and other business information. For additional information, visit www.risbdc.org.
The R.I. SBDC is a member of the America’s Small Business Development Center Network, an economic-development partnership that unites private enterprise, government, higher education and local nonprofit organizations. To learn more, visit www.asbdc-us.org.
