Florida Tech’s weVENTURE Honored for Excellence by SBA

Fifth Consecutive Year Center Receives Federal Distinction

MELBOURNE, FLA. — weVENTURE, Florida Tech’s innovative women’s business center, was recently named a Women’s Business Center of Excellence by the U.S. Small Business Administration as part of the federal agency’s 2019 District and State of Florida Small Business Week Awards.

The award marks the fifth year in a row that weVENTURE, which is focused on accelerating sustainable business growth for entrepreneurs,  has won for the South Florida District, the state of Florida and the SBA’s Region IV, which comprises Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The award acknowledges weVENTURE’s dedication in advocating and advancing small business ownership and expansion opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

“This award is a testament to the innovative work that we do to help businesses start, grow and thrive. No two businesses, entrepreneurs or women are the same, so we ensure that we are responsive to the individual needs of our clients,” said weVENTURE Executive Director Erica Lemp. “It is an honor to be recognized for a fifth time – especially when you consider the size of the metropolitan areas we are up against for this award. I am so proud of our staff and the dedicated clients we serve.”

One such client is Wendy Romeu and her company Alluvionic, Inc. Romeu was named the Women-Owned Small Business Person of the Year for the state. Romeu is a graduate of weVENTURE’s IGNITE 360® Business Mentoring program and currently serves as a mentor to other enrolled businesses.

SBA representatives will present these awards at weVENTURE’s Strong Coffee, Strong Women networking event from 8-10 a.m. Friday, May 3, at Florida Tech’s Center for Aeronautics and Innovation, 1050 W. NASA Blvd. in Melbourne.

The award presentation will be followed by a panel discussion titled, “Shouting it from the rooftops: the importance of advocating fiercely.”

The event is open to the public and is $20 per person to attend. For more information or to register, visit https://weventure.fit.edu/events/.

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