The annual Small Business Week kicked off Monday with the Small Business Bash at Boot Barn Hall and naming of the winners of the Small Business Week Awards. They are:
• Veteran Small Business Owner of the Year: Von Kessel & Partners of iFLY Indoor Skydiving in Colorado Springs. The indoor diving venue opened in March 2022 in the Polaris Pointe retail center on the Springs’ far north side. The facility is the brainchild of three retired Air Force Academy colonels — Omar Bradley, Joel Maynard and Korky von Kessel.
• Family-Owned Small Business of the Year: Behr and Behr of the Platinum Group Realtors. The team, according to its website, includes Ed Behr, owner and founding partner, and brokers Renee, Brandon, Leah and Erik Behr.
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Jackie Lujan, founder and CEO of The Lighthouse Early Care and Education, a learning-focused day care.
• Small Business Champion of the Year: Zachary Barker, a certified economic developer and founder of the Startup Support Center. “After spending near 20 years in entrepreneur growth consulting and community development, Zachary has established a sustainable and scalable methodology for building entrepreneurship ecosystems, driving growth through a clear, easy-to-execute growth blueprint model,” according to a profile on the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center’s website.
• Small Business Person of the Year: Sevan Stryker, general manager of the Bob Penkhus Motor Co.
Small Business Week continues through Friday with virtual workshops, a panel on marketing and more. The theme is “The Year of A.I. (Action & Innovation).” For more information, go to pikespeaksbdc.org.
