The Small Business Environmental Assistance Program/Small Business Ombudsman (SBEAP/SBO) National Steering Committee (NSC) Awards are the States’ premier awards program for recognizing outstanding environmental leadership among small businesses and small business assistance providers.
These awards recognize small businesses, SBEAP/SBO programs and individuals, trade associations and other business assistance providers who have made significant contributions to protecting the environment. The awards program is a partnership with U.S. EPA Asbestos and Small Business Office. Awards were presented at the 2024 Annual Training and are featured below.
Small Business Environmental Stewardship Award
This award showcases the accomplishments of a Small Business that has worked with a local, state, territory, or national SBO/SBEAP in the areas of improving environmental performance, pollution prevention, sustainability, and mentoring.
Quality Industrial Coatings, Courtdale, Pennsylvania, has been awarded the 2024 Small Business Environmental Stewardship Award for accomplishments in the areas of improving environmental performance, pollution prevention and sustainability. Quality Industrial Coatings operates two spray booths to coat plastic shrouds and other plastic parts and looked for ways to reduce their environmental impact. The company worked with the Pennsylvania Environmental Management Assistance Program or EMAP, to evaluate compliance with air quality regulations and identify ways to reduce air emissions. Quality Industrial Coatings implemented various product and operational changes that reduced their actual emissions to more than 50% of their permitted levels and met new regulatory coating limits.
EMAP Environmental Consultant, Carrie Wintersteen, noted that, “I’ve worked with Steve Kaminstein, owner of Quality Industrial Coatings, for several years on various projects and I can tell he really cares about his employees and his community. I’m glad there is a way for a company like Quality Industrial Coatings to be recognized for reducing their emissions and their commitment to protecting the environment. Read the full press release here.
River Horse Brewing Company, Ewing, New Jersey, was recognized for accomplishments in the areas of improving environmental performance, pollution prevention, sustainability, and sharing their knowledge with others to help improve other breweries and their community. The company is committed to making sustainable improvements throughout their facility and production process. They use sustainable packaging measures to reduce packaging waste and are partnered with RafCycle, a service that collects and recycles label waste to be re-used, saving up to 1300 trees per year. River Horse also donates used food-safe chemical drums to rainwater collection organizations and spent brewers’ grain to farms as livestock feed. They have replaced older lights with LED lighting, saving an estimated 11,531-kilowatt hours per year, and they also installed 8,000 square feet of solar panels to power their innovative facility.
Perhaps most impressive is their inventive reuse of water during production. During the brewing process, cold water is used to cool boiled, un-fermented beer from 212 F to 70 F. The water warms during this process and is stored in their hot water tank for use in the next brew. It is a system estimated to save 800,000 gallons of water per year and $2,200 in water and energy costs. Before adopting their sustainable practices, River Horse contacted the NJ SBEAP to help them with environmental compliance involving air permitting, water safety and sustainability. The NJ SBEAP also helped River Horse become a registered member of the NJ Sustainable Business Registry. Since then, River Horse Brewing Company has exceeded expectations on maintaining a sustainable operation and continues active membership on the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry. Read the full press release here.
Calypso Cove Marina, Norman, Oklahoma, was recognized for its accomplishments in improving environmental performance, pollution prevention, sustainability, and sharing their knowledge with others to help improve other marinas.
Calypso Cove Marina worked with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in the Oklahoma Office of Business and Regulatory Affairs (OBRA) on the Clean Marina Program and utilization of the Clean Vessel Act Grant. The grant enabled them to make needed upgrades with a focus on pollution prevention and sustainability as they rebuilt Calypso Cove Marina following several severe storm events. Some of their developments were best management practices that encourage all boaters to keep Lake Thunderbird clean, rainwater barrels, fuel efficient gas pumps, and many other environmental practices. These actions attracted like-minded outdoor enthusiasts and increased traffic and tourism in the area. Calypso Cove Marina is also a member of the local Chamber of Commerce and helps share the best management practices that were developed so Calypso Cove has become a model for other marinas to follow. Calypso Cove was the first marina to be awarded in the Clean Marina Program, inspiring at least five other marinas to act and become certified under the Clean Marina Program. Read the full press release here.
Business Assistance Providers Environmental Leadership
This award showcases the accomplishments of a business assistance provider (e.g., Trade Associations, Chambers of Commerce, other partner organizations, etc.) that has worked with a local, state, territory, or national SBO/SBEAP in the areas of compliance assistance, pollution prevention, sustainability, and information transfer.
Pat Austin, New Hampshire Automobile Dealers Association Senior Loss Prevention Consultant, has been named a recipient of a Business Assistance Provider Environmental Leadership Award. In recognition of his exemplary contributions in the field of environmental protection and sustainability, Pat Austin, was nominated for the award by the New Hampshire Small Business Technical Assistance Program. His work with small business is recognized for innovation, education and training, outreach and engagement and impacts. For more details, see the linked news release.
Recipients of this award are typically individuals, teams, or organizations that serve as role models in the environmental assistance community, demonstrating how business assistance providers can effectively contribute to both economic and environmental goals.
SBEAP Excellence Award
This award shows exemplary performance of one Small Business Ombudsman/Small Business Environmental Assistance Program or individual in compliance assistance, sustainability, advocacy, and collaboration at the national level. It emphasizes state program leadership or individual leadership where they have created resources and work products, promoted policy advancements, developed program innovations, and established new partnerships to build a strong network of small business assistance.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Small Business Environmental Assistance Program has been named the best in the nation by the National Small Business Environmental Assistance Program.
“This is a great example of how TDEC can be a resource, not just a regulator, when it comes to helping businesses navigate environmental requirements,” said TDEC Commissioner David Salyers. “We are proud of the work we have done with Tennessee small businesses, and we are grateful for this national recognition.”
The state’s SBEAP helps Tennessee small businesses with environmental regulations. SBEAP staff recognize that small businesses are experts in their fields, but likely not proficient in understanding sometimes complex regulations. The program serves as a liaison between regulatory agencies and businesses. Their assistance activities may also include internal assistance to other TDEC divisions and collaboration with other departments like the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
The SBEAP develops outreach opportunities and materials such as training programs, brochures, and webinars, to help small businesses with state and federal regulations that affect them. It also provides one-on-one assistance to small businesses to guide them through the regulatory process. Most of the assistance is related to air regulations, but the staff also provide assistance related to water and land regulations. Read the full press release here.