Fort Myers Owner Named Florida’s SBA Small Business of the Year
Release Date:
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Release Number:
20-29
Contact:
Internet Address:
MIAMI – Jovita Carranza, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, recently announced the kick-off for National Small Business Week. The virtual event, rescheduled from May due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be held September 22-24. National Small Business Week honors the nation’s small businesses, many of which are veteran, women and minority-owned, for their achievements and dedication to their communities. This year’s National Small Business Week activities will include numerous educational panels providing retooling and innovative practices for entrepreneurs as our nation’s small businesses look to pivot and recover toward a stronger economy.
Ryan Carter, the executive VP and co-owner of Scotlynn USA Division based in Fort Myers, Fla., has been named the 2020 State of Florida Small Business Person of the Year.Nominated by the Florida SBDC at Florida Gulf Coast University, Scotlynn USA Division, Inc. is a transportation and logistics services provider that operates a truck fleet, freight brokerage, and distributes perishable foods for a range of Fortune 500 and smaller companies throughout North America, Canada and Mexico.
Founded in 2010 by then 26-year-old Ryan Carter, younger brother Brad, and business partner Scott Briddle; opening the doors to the Fort Myers-based Division was a milestone and first in the U.S. for a company that originated in Canada.
Carter and a small team of Scotlynn USA Division employees originally operated the company from a 900 square foot office space before expansion demands led to them purchasing their entire 12,000 square feet building in 2012. The firm’s growth success also resulted in the Evansville, Indiana native opening two additional locations: one in the City of Indianapolis in 2012 and a sequential office in Tampa, Florida in 2015. As of the date of judging, Carter was redesigning Scotlynn’s Fort Myers headquarters and preparing to move into a 60,000 square foot building that can house 460 employees. The company has eight offices in the U.S. with more than 1,000 employees nationwide.
“I look forward to celebrating the success of Ryan and the Scotlynn USA Division family during National Small Business Week,” said Victoria Guerrero, SBA South Florida District Director. “The exponential growth this company has experienced in such a short period of time is commendable. Special ‘thanks’ to Lois Knox and her entire team at SBDC Florida Gulf Coast College for the consulting assistance they provided throughout the company’s growth process.”
In addition to Small Business Person of the Year, National Small Business Week will also recognize small business advocates for their involvement in disaster recovery, government contracting, and their support for small businesses and entrepreneurship. Awards will be presented to SBA partners in financial and entrepreneurial development, including top SCORE Chapter, Small Business Development Center, Women’s Business Center, and Veterans Business Outreach Center.
For registration and additional information on National Small Business Week, please visit sba.gov/NSBW.
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