Awardee in competition for National Small Business Person of the Year to be presented during National Small Business Week in May
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — The U.S. Small Business Administration’s West Virginia District Office is celebrating the state’s Small Business Person of the Year and three additional district level honorees as it prepares for National Small Business Week, which will take place May 4-10, 2025. Along with awards ceremonies, the week will include a national small business roadshow with SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, a two-day virtual summit, community events and educational sessions about manufacturing, digital marketing, cybersecurity and cryptocurrency, as well as online business resources and renowned speakers.
“Nearly 99 percent of businesses in West Virginia are small,” said SBA’s West Virginia District Director, Karen Friel. “Small Business Week is an opportunity to take a moment and reflect on all the hard work and energy small business owners put into their businesses on a daily basis.”
The SBA is recognizing Cathy Jo Higgins, founder of The Development Advantage, LLC for her impact and economic contributions in West Virginia. She was nominated by West Virginia Small Business Development Coaches, Doug Spaulding (retired) & Harold Patterson. The Development Advantage LLC is a pediatric outpatient clinic offering early intervention services in Charleston, WV.
Passionate about early childhood special education, Cathy Jo began her business in 2015 as a WV Birth-to-Three Practitioner Agency and provided insurance-billed, in-home speech and occupational therapy. Her dream to help more children grew in October 2020 when she opened a pediatric outpatient applied behavior analysis clinic, which grew quickly. Now employing 30, the clinic is bursting at the seams, and Cathy Jo is looking for a larger space and has plans to open a second location.
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler will acknowledge Higgins, who is in the running for the National Small Business Person of the Year and national runner up, on May 5 at the National Small Business Week kick off and awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.
At a local ceremony on May 7, 2025, at the Robert H. Mollohan Research Center in Fairmont, WV, SBA’s West Virginia District Office will celebrate the state winner and additional local awardees who have empowered entrepreneurial success, created jobs and driven economic growth, including:
WV Small Business Exporter of the Year
Jason Wilburn & Annabelle Javier, Paul Wissmach Glass Company
Paden City, WV
WV Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year
Shelia Hartley, Spa Oasis
Fairmont, WV
Nominated by: Todd Crump & Frank Goldsborough, WV SBDC
WV Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year
Marcus Hatfield, Hatfield Family Distillery
Charleston, WV
Nominated by: Marsa Myers & Bret Chandler, WV SBDC
Details on National Small Business Week, the virtual summit, registrations and speakers are featured on www.sba.gov/NSBW and will be updated as additional information and activities are confirmed. Local events will be featured on www.sba.gov/events and identifiable by searching with #SmallBusinessWeek.
