SCORE Salutes the 2012 SBA Champions of Collaboration Award Winners

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SCORE, – www.score.org – America's premier source of free and confidential small business advice, congratulates the 2012 U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Champions of Collaboration award winners, the contributors and supporters of the Entrepreneur Launch Pad, a professional networking group in Utah.  The group is made up of eight partner branches of the SBA including two SCORE chapters, five Small Business Development Centers and the Women's Business Center in Salt Lake.  Entrepreneur Launch Pad (ELP) began in 2008 when three unemployed individuals met at a workshop and decided to embark on the path of entrepreneurship. They began holding weekly brainstorming meetings and soon found the group expanding to include more and more likeminded individuals looking for guidance, support and expertise in getting their own businesses started. 

The Salt Lake and Central Utah chapters of SCORE joined in this effort by supplementing the networking sessions with one-on-one mentoring during the meetings and beyond.  While the entrepreneur attendees brainstorm, bounce ideas off of one another and provide encouragement, seasoned SCORE mentors offer years of real world experience and insight. Over the past 3 years, more than 800 people have attended ELP sessions at 6 locations throughout northern Utah resulting in the creation of dozens of new small businesses.  The sessions are completely free and coordinated by an all-volunteer staff.

Two SCORE chapter chairs, Ron Tucker of Salt Lake SCORE and Arnold Brown of Central Utah SCORE, will receive the Champion of Collaboration award in honor of their chapters' role in this effective partnership for the betterment of small businesses.  The awards will be presented during National Small Business Week on May 21, 2012 in Washington, DC.

"Building relationships within the community is such a vital component to small business success and The Entrepreneur Launch Pad collaboration helps to create and maintain those bonds," said SCORE CEO Ken Yancey. "ELP is a fine example of how SCORE combines its proven mentoring methods and expertise with the tools of other complementary organizations to help entrepreneurs across the country get started and ultimately flourish."

For more information on the Entrepreneur Launch Pad, visit www.entrepreneurlaunchpad.org

About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 9 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each year, SCORE provides small business mentoring and workshops to more than 375,000 new and growing small businesses. More than 13,000 business experts volunteer as mentors in 364 chapters serving local communities with entrepreneur education to help grow 1 million small businesses.

For more information about starting or operating a small business, call 1-800/634-0245 for the SCORE chapter nearest you. Visit SCORE at www.score.org. Connect with SCORE at www.facebook.com/SCOREFans and www.twitter.com/SCOREMentors.

For more information, contact SCORE's public relations manager at 1-800/634-0245 or [email protected].

Contact Information: Shalini Karnani Bonjour, 800/634-0245, [email protected]

SOURCE SCORE Association