Champions of Change

Champions of Change: Small Business

Small businesses create about two out of every three jobs in the U.S. each year, and roughly half of working Americans either own or work for a small business. That’s why this week we’re highlighting small business entrepreneurs who are making a positive impact on their communities. These Champions of Change are on the front lines of strengthening America’s economy while helping our country rise to the many challenges of the 21st century.

Christy Crkvenac, Founder/President, Fulcrum Pharmacy.

After working as regional director for a large national long-term care pharmacy company, Christy Crkvenac saw an opportunity to offer...

Michael Paul Hamilton, President, MCH Corporation.

Michael Hamilton, an expert in visual imaging and information technology, located his IT firm, MCH Corporation, in the rural east...

Leigh Kamstra, Chef/Owner, Roma’s Ristorante.

For 37 years an old, dilapidated stone building stood empty in Spearfish, on the edge of the Black Hills in western South Dakota. But it...

J. Dan Kelley, COO, Principal Engineer, and Managing Member, Tierra Dynamic Company.

Sometimes you should just listen to your Mom. It worked for Dan Kelley and the environmental...

Barry C. Levin, Chairman and CEO, Snak King Corp.

In 1979, Barry Levin took over a struggling snack company that was producing pork rinds in a cramped facility with only two employees....

Jose A. Lopez, President, Marketing Arm International, Inc.

With a mounting concern for the worldwide harmful effects of many well-known and much used agricultural insecticides, fungicides...

Jose L. Rodriguez, President & CEO, M.E.R.I.T., Inc.

After Jose “Joe” Rodriguez retired from his job as a Newark police detective and captain from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office,...

Joe Santelli, President, Santelli Tempered Glass.

For homeowners throughout the country, for employees of Santelli’s Tempered Glass and for residents of Monessen, Joe Santelli certainly is...

Kathryn Vercruyssen, Owner, Comfort Keepers of North Idaho.

While dealing with the personal challenges of caring for their aging grandparents, Tom and Kat Vercruyssen recognized the need...

Cencio Tan C. Vy, President/CEO, Benson Guam Enterprises, Inc.

In 1976, after a typhoon devastated the Pacific island of Guam, Cencio Tan’s father, Tan Beng Chiat, realized there would be a...

Freddie Winston, Founder, F&L Construction.

For Freddie Winston, success in business is played on his hometown field – literally. Born and raised in the D.C. area, Freddie remained...

Michael L. and Lisa M. Lujan, Co-Owners, Mentoring Minds

When they heard the phrase “a mind is a terrible thing to waste,” U.S. Air Force veteran Michael Lujan and his wife Lisa took it to...

Katrina Markoff, President/Owner, Vosges Haut Chocolat, Ltd.

After studying chemistry and psychology at Vanderbilt University, Katrina Markoff boarded a plane to Paris to pursue her true...

Rick L. McKeel, President/CEO, New Carbon Company, Inc.

New Carbon Company, Inc. started as a family-owned business, selling Golden Malted Pancake and Waffle Flour to the food service...