The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Santa Ana District Office has named the Orange County Small Business Development Center as the 2009 Small Business Development Center of Excellence.  Led by Director Leila Mozaffari, the Orange County SBDC assisted more than 3,700 small business owners and entrepreneurs and generated an economic impact of more than $20M in 2008.  Orange County SBDC has expanded to include locations in the Southern and Western metropolitan areas, totaling four small business assistance centers in Orange County, and has been awarded grants for new programs, such as the California Construction Contracting Program, the Youth Entrepreneurship Program, the Wells Fargo Vietnamese Technical Assistance Program and the Green Business Consulting Program. 

The SBDC was nominated by Dr. Eddie Hernandez, Chancellor of Rancho Santiago Community College District, and the award was announced by District Director J. Adalberto Quijada, who oversees small business initiatives for the counties of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino. 

The Orange County SBDC will be recognized, along with other small business owners and champions, at the 46th Annual Small Business Week Awards event on June 4th hosted by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians in the Yuhaviatam Room at 777 San Manuel Blvd., Highland, CA.   For more information and to register for the event, contact Jennifer Hoff at 951-781-2345, ext. 246 or