08 Mar Local Entrepreneur Nominated for National Award
U.S. Small Business Administration Will Salute Small Business Owners
Huntsville, March 8, 2017—Laura Huckabee-Jennings, Founder and CEO of Transcend, is a nominee for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 2017 Small Business Person of the Year Award. Huckabee-Jennings was nominated for the award by The Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship (formerly known as the Women’s Business Center of North Alabama) after winning the organization’s inaugural Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2016.
“I’m humbled to be nominated for the SBA award,” said Huckabee-Jennings. “Winning the Women’s Business Center award last year was a huge honor and I applaud all of this year’s Entrepreneur Awards winners.” Catalyst Center President and CEO Joanne Randolph said, “Not only has Laura grown her own company as a successful entrepreneur, the leadership development work she does helps other entrepreneurs achieve success. She represents us well on the national level.”
A graduate of Princeton University with an MBA from INSEAD, Huckabee-Jennings has led the Transcend team in engineering corporate turnarounds, driving cultural change, developing future leaders, and coaching C-suite teams to build sustainable organizational growth. She has worked in markets around the world, including Japan, China, Israel, Poland, and the US, managing brands, business units and people for companies like Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola. A professional speaker, she has worked with organizations including the Starfish Foundation with Soledad O’Brien, the Association for Talent Development, the Society for Human Resource Management, the Association of Leadership Programs, and with many private and corporate events across the country.
National Small Business Week is April 30 – May 6, 2017 and is our nation’s salute to small business owners. The SBA highlights the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and community members from all 50 states and US territories. National award winners will be announced in Washington, DC during award ceremonies on April 30 and May 1, 2017.