Jaim Krutz, co-owner of Big Cuppa coffee shop in Morrilton, has been named the 2022 Small Business Person of the Year for Arkansas by the U.S. Small Business Administration. SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced Thursday the 2022 Small Business Persons of the Year winners from each of the nation’s 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Founded in 2017, Big Cuppa is a craft coffee and specialty beverage shop in Historic downtown Morrilton, Ark. that serves coffees, sandwiches, breakfast and pastries. According to the company website, the small business, “exists to promote community pride and provide a venue for new shared experiences,” and also roasts and sells its own coffee beans.
Jaim was part of the SBA Emerging Leaders class of 2021, a 7-month intensive series intended to accelerate the growth of high-potential small businesses. She formerly worked for UACC-Morrilton where she served as a career counselor, providing career and educational support to students. Jaim holds a Master of Education degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
The winners will be formally recognized on May 5 during the National Small Business Week (NSBW) Virtual Summit’s Awards Ceremony, May 2-5. This year’s NSBW theme is “Building a Better America Through Entrepreneurship.”
“I am delighted to recognize our National Small Business Week winners from across the country who have stepped up to build their businesses, create jobs and power historic recovery over the past year,” said Guzman. “Entrepreneurs are innovators and creators at their core, delivering the products and services we depend on and making our neighborhoods, towns, and cities more vibrant places to live and work. They give their all to achieve their American dream of business ownership and, by doing so, advance America’s economy and global competitiveness.
“Our 2022 award winners represent the vibrancy and resiliency of our nation’s 32.5 million small businesses, and I look forward to celebrating these small business giants and the positive impact they have had on lives and livelihoods in communities all across America,” she added.
National Small Business Week, observed May 1-7 this year, will celebrate small businesses, provide critical resources and recognize SBA partners for their support in providing startups and small business owners with counseling and advice, skills development, disaster preparedness and recovery, as well as access to capital, government contracting and market opportunities to start, grow and build resilient businesses.
Big Cuppa is located at 205 E Broadway St. Morrilton, with a drive-thru location at 1634 E Harding St.
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