We are pleased to announce that the Women’s Business Center – Metro Atlanta of ACE | Access to Capital for Entrepreneurship has been selected as the recipient of the SBA’s Women’s Business Center of the Year Excellence Award for 2022. Winning resource partners are chosen by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in recognition of their impact on local economic development, job creation, and support of small business growth in the U.S., especially among women and veteran entrepreneurs as well as small business owners from rural communities.
Sandra Font is the Director of the ACE Women’s Business Center-Metro Atlanta, located in Norcross, Georgia. Since joining Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs in 2017, Ms. Font has been an innovator implementing inclusive entrepreneurship initiatives. Under her leadership, the Metro-Atlanta WBC has supported 1,277 jobs; helped create more than 240 businesses; helped businesses access $37,069,809 in capital, 44% through SBA loans; and served more than 5,000 unique clients.
Working alongside Sandra in the Metro-Atlanta WBC is Alejandra Diaz, Program Coordinator. A resilient army of 2, they have made it possible for the Metro-Atlanta WBC to consistently exceed its performance goals.
ACE President & CEO, Grace Fricks shared what she felt made the win possible: “Both Sandra and Alejandra are exceptional women who care about all people- including their clients, ACE staff and external partners. Expertise matters but their values catapult the work of the WBC to the highest level. And we are all very proud of them.”
In honor of National Small Business Week the first week of May, the SBA will co-host a free, four-day virtual summit from May 2 through May 5, 2022, along with SCORE, to honor the nation’s 32.5 million small businesses for their perseverance. The 2022 Small Business Persons of the Year award winners from each state, including the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, will be honored, and the SBA will announce the 2022 National Small Business Person of the Year from among the state winners represented.
The Women’s Business Center (WBC) mission is to empower women, minorities, and low-to-moderate income entrepreneurs at all stages of business through financial education and training. The ACE WBC is part of a national network of 140 WBCs in the country, all partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). ACE hosts two WBCs in Georgia, one in Metro Atlanta area, and one that covers the Savannah region.
Women are crucial to the economy of this country and the WBC’s work is to support underserved Georgia entrepreneurs with education, tools, resources, access to capital, and to establish opportunities to help them develop and grow their businesses.