First State Manufacturing SBA national award winner

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FirstStat photoe_0678First State Manufacturing, owned by  Eli and Sher Valenzuela, have been named the SBA National  Champion in the 8(a) graduate category.

First State provides upholstering and insulating services to the U.S. military and many commercial entities. According to the SBA, the company has   saved the US taxpayer millions of dollars by providing on time delivery of services at  prices well below the previous  cost. The company also provides a form of body armor to the military in Israel.

They are only the second national champion in Delaware history. The other winners were  Bobby Pancake and Steve Wheat for the local  Buffalo Wild Wings franchise  for Entrepreneurial Success several years ago.

Pancake and Wheat were among the small business owners honored by President Obama at the White House.

First State, which is based in Milford, has grown from one employee to nearly 100 employees since its founding  in 1998.

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  “First State Manufacturing is a great example of how hard work and persistence can take a business from a single employee with a single sewing machine in their garage… to one of the top businesses in Delaware and the country. The American Dream is still alive as evidenced by Eli and Sher Valenzuela,” said SBA Delaware District Director, John Fleming

Sher Valenzuela said, “What a great honor to be selected as the Nation’s Top 8(a) Graduate by the SBA. We have been very fortunate to work with such tremendous team members as employees, and have benefitted from the many SBA programs that have served to support our hard work and bring our dreams to fruition while serving our family, state, and nation.”

The 8(a) Business Development Program is a program for small disadvantaged businesses. The 8(a) Program offers a broad scope of assistance to firms that are owned and controlled at least 51 percent by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.

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