Gwinnett County (Metro Atlanta) Ga – November 10, 2022. Grace Fricks, Founder and CEO of ACE | Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs Inc. has been named a finalist in the Founder category for the 2022 Gwinnett Chamber Small Business Awards, an annual program designed to recognize entrepreneurs and small businesses in the greater Gwinnett region. This year’s program will be held at 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville on Dec.9 at 9:00 a.m.
Fricks believes that collaboration is the key to creating change. When starting ACE in 1997 in rural North Georgia, she was a social worker who saw a need and decided she could help meet it, but she knew she would have to garner support from the local community. Her personal banker helped her set up an Excel spreadsheet and made coupon books. A local entrepreneur helped with public relations and the technical college organized the loan committee. It was a true collaborative effort, with Fricks as the connector. This ability to pull the players together as a community change maker is one of her superpowers.
From humble beginnings in rural North Georgia and an initial grant of $50,000, ACE | Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs has helped North Georgia and metro Atlanta’s entrepreneurs survive and thrive for more than twenty years. This commitment to providing affordable loans to underserved small and medium businesses has positioned ACE as one of the largest nonprofits in the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s list of Atlanta’s 75 Largest Nonprofit Organizations.
Honoring individuals and organizations alike, designations will be awarded in the following ten categories:
- Community Contributor Award
- Culture Creator Award
- Emerging Entrepreneur Award
- Founder Award
- Launch Award
- Minority-Owned/Woman-Owned Small Business Award
- Small Business Award; 0-5; 6-24; 25+ employees
- Support System Award
“Small businesses account for ninety-percent of all business in Gwinnett and are a critical component to our thriving economy,” shared Nick Masino, President and CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber. “We congratulate Grace Fricks on her designation and look forward to celebrating with them at this upcoming awards program.”
For more information on this event or to register to attend, visit GwinnettChamber.org/Small-Business-Awards.
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