SBA Names Annice Brown as 2014 NC Women Business Advocate of the Year

CHARLOTTE –  Annice Brown has been named the Small Business Administration’s 2014 North Carolina Women Business Advocate of the Year. She is the Assistant Regional Director for the North Carolina Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC) at Western Carolina University. This award honors Brown for her commitment to the advancement of women’s business ownership.  She was nominated by Jane Hatley, Western NC Regional Director of Self-Help, a Community Development Financial Institution.

The award recognizes Brown for her active support to help small businesses, efforts to increase business and financial opportunities for women, volunteer efforts to strengthen the role of women business owners within the community and other accomplishments demonstrating effectiveness in improving the environment for women in business.

“I share this award with the SBTDC team at WCU,” said Brown. “Also, all the women entrepreneurs I’ve worked with over the last twelve years. I’ve seen them work hard to accomplish their goals and objectives day after day, year after year, never giving up.”

The SBTDC provides one-on-one business counseling services to small and medium size businesses across North Carolina. Brown’s area includes fourteen counties in the western part of the state. She advises clients on: loan package development, business planning, marketing plans, financial analysis, project management, technology transfer, branding, and strategic planning..

In 12 years at the SBTDC, Brown has counselled over 528 women business owners and many more who were part of a team, such as husband-and-wife or partners. She helped at least 100 local woman-owned businesses to grow from start-up to successful business.

Brown is committed to the natural products sector in Western North Carolina. She is a founder/board member of the N.C. Natural Products Association. Because of her experience, she has been invited for the past two years to moderate a panel for the Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference, which draws over 1,000 women annually.

She is also a certified coach for Best Year Yet, specializing in coaching of woman-owned and woman-managed businesses.

For more information, contact Annice Brown at 828-251-6025, x24 or abrown@email.wcu.edu.