May 4, 2023 – The District Office of the US Small Business Administration (SBA) in Georgia announced the winners of the district’s 2023 National Small Business Week. This year National Small Business Week will be celebrated from April 30th to May 6th. As part of the celebration of small business owners, Georgia District honorees will be honored at an awards dinner on Thursday, May 4 in the greater Atlanta area.
Ken Taunton, President and CEO of The Royster Group, Inc., was named 2023 Georgia Small Business Owner of the Year. Ken’s Company is a certified, minority-owned company founded in 2001 providing executive search and professional recruitment services to the private and public sectors. Over the past 20 years, Ken has grown his business from a one-person operation to a company with over 100 employees and over $20 million in sales.
“I am pleased to announce Ken Taunton as the 2023 SBA Georgia District Small Business Owner of the Year,” said Terri Denison, SBA Georgia district director. “Ken has a longstanding relationship with SBA programs and services and over the years has received executive level training, technical contracting assistance and strategic planning support which has helped his earnings grow since the inception of his company have risen into the millions. He also believes in giving back to his local community by supporting Sheltering Arms, an organization that provides early education, child care and family support services in the greater Atlanta area.”
The 2023 SBA Georgia District Small Business Award winners are:
2023 Georgia Small Business Owner of the Year
Ken Taunton, President and Owner, The Royster Group, Inc.
Ken Taunton is President and Owner of The Royster Group, Inc., a certified minority-owned firm founded in 2001 providing executive search and professional recruitment services to the private and public sectors. Ken has grown his business from a one-person operation to a company with more than 80 employees. In 2008, Ken was part of SBA’s first Emerging Leaders program called e200, which focused on developing growth-focused leaders. The program helped him weather the Great Recession and transition from his declining commercial business to securing federal contracts. He is also an SBA 8(a) graduate and secured some of the first federal contracts under the program. Royster Group revenue in 2008 was $2 million, today revenue is over $20 million. Ken is passionate about the education and personal development of underserved youth and volunteers at organizations that help create equal opportunities such as: B. Sheltering Arms.
Georgia Exporter of the Year 2023
Diaa Ghaly, Managing Director, Trans Globe LLC
Diaa Ghaly is Managing Director of Trans Globe, LLC. Trans Globe is a global agribusiness that connects farmers, producers and processors with end users around the world. Diaa is a father and businessman with 28 years of experience in international business development, strategic planning, global trading and risk management. His work includes trading in various industries: consumer goods, agricultural commodities, processed foods, chemicals and industrial development. Diaa’s operational experience is global, spanning the Middle East, Asia, South America and Europe. Diaa is from Egypt and came to the USA in 2001.
2023 Georgian Family-Owned Small Business of the Year
Todd and Tonya Reed, Owners, Henry Plumbing Company
Todd and Tonya Reed are the owners of Henry Plumbing Company in Savannah, GA. The Company undertakes commercial and residential projects consisting of new construction, remodeling and repairs. The Henry Plumbing Company has been in business for 54 years serving lowland Georgia. Tonya and Todd Reed form the 3rd generation of the company, along with their son and daughter-in-law, Tanner and Meghan Reed to make it a successful 4th generation company. In the time of COVID19, the Henry Plumbing Company was a Savannah Strong participant and early adopter for home maintenance during the pandemic. They also expanded their workforce and provided ongoing professional training to their employees, who they consider members of their extended family.
2023 Georgia’s Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year
Wilson Tomala, President, Paul Davis Restoration of North Atlanta
Wilson Tomala is the President of Paul Davis Restoration of North Atlanta, a general contractor specializing in emergency services and rehabilitation work for residential and commercial properties affected by natural and man-made disasters. Wilson and his family immigrated to the United States from Ecuador in the mid-1970s. Eleven years ago, he and a group of Hispanic businesses formed an association representing Hispanic contractors and started the Georgia Hispanic Construction Association. His tenure began as vice chairman, then moved to the role of chairman, where he served for three years and remains a board member.
2023 Georgia Rural Small Business of the Year
Jimmy and Jennifer Cole, Owners, Coles Cakery
Jennifer and Jimmy are the owners of Coles Cakery, a bakery in Tifton, GA. The company specializes in custom cakes and serves a daily selection of baked goods such as cupcakes, cookies, tarts, tarts, Danish pastries and cake pops. Jennifer and Jimmy met during the seminar. To earn extra income, they started making custom cakes from home in 2013. 2018 saw an opportunity to purchase an established bakery in Tifton. Since their home business had grown exponentially from the start, they continued to purchase premises, equipment and recipes while retaining their existing name, Cole’s Cakery.
2023 Georgia Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year
John Bostain, President, Command Presence, LLC
John Bostain is the President of Command Presence, LLC, which provides law enforcement training services. John has dedicated himself to law enforcement for the past 23 years, 20 of them as a law enforcement instructor. He has lectured nationally and internationally on contemporary law enforcement issues such as the dynamics of officer-citizen encounters, the use of force, human performance factors, and trainer development. In 2012, he received Law Officer Magazine’s prestigious Trainer of the Year Award. John is an Instructor Trainer (Core Instructor) for the Below 100 program and a member of the teaching staff for the BJA VALOR for Blue program. John is also a member of the Advisory Board of the International Law Enforcement Educators.
2023 Georgia Small Business of the Year Owned by a Woman
Latha Ravi, President, The Flying Locksmiths – South Atlanta
Latha Ravi is the President of The Flying Locksmiths – South Atlanta. The company provides proactive security solutions to mitigate building security risks and help commercial organizations stay safer. Latha’s business offers consulting, installations, service, repairs, upgrades, maintenance, project management and more. The business solutions include doors, locks, keys, cameras and access controls. Latha is very active in the local South Atlanta community, building and promoting small businesses and entrepreneurs with local chambers. She is a board member of the Griffin Spalding Chamber of Commerce and the United Way Spalding Chapter. She is also a graduate of the Newnan and Griffin Chamber Leadership class and recently completed the 2022 Fayette Chamber Leadership Program.
For more information on National Small Business Week, visit www.sba.gov/nsbw. For more information about SBA loan programs, financial assistance and other services, visit http://www.sba.gov/ga/.
