NEW YORK (PRWEB) JULY 24, 2018 Small Business Expo (SBE), the nation’s largest small business networking and educational event in the country, today announced that it is now accepting entries for its inaugural Best of Small Business Awards™, which celebrate the top small to mid-sized businesses and leaders in the United States. With finalists and winners being announced in December 2018, the awards are a powerful opportunity for entrants to demonstrate their business acumen, celebrate their industry success and promote their teams on a national stage. Across 27 different categories, the Best of Small Business Awards recognizes the contributions companies, their teams and affiliates are making to the burgeoning small business landscape in the U.S. Awards include: The SBE 100 – Honors the top 100 small to mid-sized businesses in the U.S. and celebrates their growth and accomplishments over the previous year. Small Business of the Year – Recognizes the many achievements of a small business that demonstrate exceptional growth in the marketplace, diversity, customer service, leadership, a positive workplace environment and a profitable business model. Start-Up of the Year – Celebrates the most innovative and promising start-up in the U.S. that demonstrates the greatest potential to transform from a start-up to a company with explosive growth. CEO of the Year – Awarded to a true leader who demonstrates clear vision, judgement and empowerment skills that drive his/her business to enormous success and growth. Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Recognizes and inspirational and successful individual who is under 40 years old, who doesn’t just dream about starting a business but actually executes and turns those dreams into successful business realities. The regular deadline for award entries in 11:59pm EST on September 7, 2018, with an extended deadline of 11:59pm EST on October 5 for late applications. Public voting on all entries will run from October 6 to November 30, during which period anyone visiting the awards website will have the opportunity to review each application and cast their vote for the most deserving submissions. Finalists will be informed via email on December 1st and the winners will be announced on December 18. “Small to mid-sized businesses make up 99% of the nation’s businesses and they make a huge contribution to the continued growth of our economy,” said Zach Lezberg, Owner, Small Business Expo. “We founded this awards series to recognize the incredible success these firms are seeing – businesses that make up the backbone of the U.S. economy. Winners of the Best of Small Business Awards will not only gain recognition as one of the top small businesses in the country but will also be able to demonstrate their company’s achievements and further boost their success.” According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, in 2016 there were more than 28.8 million small businesses in the United States, accounting for 99.7% of all of the country’s business. The SBE was founded in 2008 to provide valuable insights and tools to entrepreneurs and business professionals that are trying to build a company from the ground up. The group recently announced record growth for the SBE’s shows in the first half of 2018, with key cities including New York City, Philadelphia and Dallas seeing significant increases in both exhibitor and attendee registration. About Small Business Expo Small Business Expo® is the nation’s largest small business networking and educational event in the Country. From 2015-2017 it was ranked as an Inc. 5000 company as the fastest-growing privately held business. Every year, over 100,000 small business professionals and entrepreneurs across the Country register for Small Business Expo to take their business to the next level. The show’s owner, Film, Stage & ShowBiz Expo LLC. was founded in 2008 by Zachary Lezberg. For more information, visit thesmallbusinessexpo.com. Contact: Kite Hill PR for Small Business Expo Kayla Engebretsen Kayla(at)kitehillpr.com https://www.prweb.com/releases/small_business_expo_opens_entries_for_the_best_of_small_business_awards/prweb15645419.htm