Waymon Armstrong, the owner of an Orlando-based small business that uses computer simulations to help government and private sector clients prepare for and respond to natural disasters, medical emergencies and combat, was on Wednesday named National Small Business Person of the Year, the U.S. Small Business Administration said. The announcement was made as the SBA celebrates National Small Business Week 2010.
Armstrong, started his company, Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) in 1997. Today it is one of Inc. Magazine’s 500 fastest growing private companies in America. Armstrong and ECS use cutting edge technology to help government and private clients prepare for natural disasters, medical emergencies, and times of war.
ECS is a leading provider of game-based simulation systems and interactive performance assessment tools that train emergency medical personnel and emergency management teams from different jurisdictions to cooperate in the event of a natural disaster, and simulation training programs that teach unmanned vehicle operational personnel procedures to launch and operate unmanned vehicles.
The ECS engineering team brings together an experienced staff that values innovation and creativity while focusing on customers’ needs. Today, ECS employs 45 people, and recruits from the central Florida talent pool. ECS doubled its revenues in 2008. The company has seen a 640 percent sales growth over the past three years. The loyalty of his staff was rewarded with generous benefits: full insurance, personal time off, every other Friday off, monthly catered appreciation lunches, bonus and profit-sharing plans, and on-site massage therapy.
First runner-up is Rebecca Ann Ufkes, president of UEC Electronics, LLC, of Hanahan, S.C., which helps clients turn their ideas into finished products through its design, prototyping and manufacturing capabilities. Second runner-up is Warner Cruz, president of J.C. Restoration, Inc., of Rolling Meadows, Ill., who took over the company his father had established and turned it into a full-service disaster restoration company with 70 employees in eight different divisions.
The National Small Business Person of the Year and runners-up were selected from among the 53 state small business winners, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, who are being honored this week in Washington, D.C, as part of National Small Business Week. The awards were announced at today’s National Awards Luncheon, sponsored by Sam’s Club at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
