Two Area Women Win Small Business Administration Awards
Contact: Gina Woodward, SBDC Regional Director, gina@wtsbdc.com, 806-651-5151
CANYON, Texas – Two local winners were honored in the national Small Business Awards.
Amy Henderson, vice president & business loan officer with Amarillo National Bank, was named the Women’s Business Champion of the Year for the West Texas region. Hudson House Canyon, owned by Alyssa Lewis, was named the Woman-Owned Business of the Year for the West Texas region.
America’s SBDC at WTAMU, along with its host, the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business, received the SBDC Excellence and Innovation Center award.
The Small Business Awards are presented annually by the U.S. Small Business Administration during National Small Business Week, this year running April 30 to May 6.
Awards for the Amarillo area winners were presented May 3 at the Fairly Group Club in Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium on West Texas A&M University’s Canyon campus.
The winners were selected by the U.S. Small Business Administration from qualities including contributions to their communities, success in business, and innovation in services.
“Amy and Alyssa exemplify what it means to be servant leaders” said Gina Woodward, regional director of America’s SBDC at WTAMU. “They continually work behind the scenes to serve and lift up others in their own work and in their communities.”
WT’s SBDC has worked alongside both winners and submitted the nominations.
In 2020, Lewis jumped at the opportunity of a lifetime and purchased Hudson House in Canyon and successfully served her residents through the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most difficult times in the business’ history.
“Alyssa has worked so hard, and it is amazing to see what she has accomplished,” said her banker, Meredith Stover with FirstCapital Bank of Texas. “She truly has a passion for helping and serving others, and you can see that in her success at the Hudson House Canyon.”
A small business lender who has been with Amarillo National Bank since 2000, Henderson’s passion for helping women in business earned her a place on the Texas Governor’s Commission for Women in 2016, and she has since used that platform to advocate for women across Texas, and especially in the Texas Panhandle.
“Amy is a true super star at our bank. She shines in every way possible,” said William Ware, ANB president. “From her awesome customer service to her impressive knowledge of her customers’ businesses, she raises the bar for all. She’s a strong leader at the bank who has trained countless officers, lenders and managers. She represents our city and our state as she serves on some of the most impressive boards in the state. We’re honored to have Amy on our team.”
For information, visit wtsbdc.com/smallbusinessawards or call 806-651-5151.
WT is committed to serving the region and well beyond with successful entrepreneurs and business leaders who are empowered to lead others. Partnering and retaining community businesses to improve the quality of life in the Panhandle and beyond is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.
That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched in September 2021 — has raised more than $120 million.
About America’s SBDC at WTAMU
America's Small Business Development Center at WTAMU provides business consulting, training, and research in all areas of small business operations for both start-ups and existing businesses. A department of the Paul & Virginia Engler College of Business at West Texas A&M University, the SBDC works in partnership with its sister department, the WT Enterprise Center, to serve small business owners across the Texas Panhandle. Funded by the State of Texas and the Small Business Administration, they contribute to the state's rapid growth through the creation of new jobs and workforce training.
About West Texas A&M University
WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offer 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.
Photo: Amy Henderson, fourth from left, and Alyssa Lewis, fourth from right, recently were presented Small Business Awards by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Also pictured are, from left, Matt Jock, Kim Voss and Rey Lops of the U.S. Small Business Administration; Gina Woodward, America’s SBDC at WTAMU; and Carla Holland and Randy Burch of America’s SBDC at TTU – Northwest Texas State Office.
—WT—