Waymon Armstrong and Chris Hurn were recently honored at a Small Business Award Luncheon hosted by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UCF and its Small Business Resource Network program.
(Left to Right – Chris Hurn, Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas, Waymon Armstrong, Eunice Choi, regional director-SBDC at UCF, Ralph Ross, deputy district director-U.S. SBA-Jacksonville)
Armstrong was named Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 2010 District and State Small Business Person of the Year. He is the president and CEO of Engineering & Computer Simulations, Inc. (ECS). Since its inception in 1997, Armstrong has led ECS in delivering innovative PC-based game technology through advanced distributed learning environments. Since 2007, ECS has used virtual world technologies and has become a leader in delivering virtual world solutions to its customers.
Hurn was named the SBA 2010 District and State Financial Services Champion of the Year. He is the CEO and co-founder of Mercantile Capital Corporation (MCC). MCC is a nationwide, non-bank commercial lending firm specializing in providing the highest cash-on-cash return financing for business owners and entrepreneurs buying their commercial property. MCC has appeared on the Inc. 500/5000 list of America’s fastest growing companies for the past three years. To date, MCC has funded over $463.8 million in total project costs in 35 states.
More than 60 guests and previous award winners honored the two businessmen for their accomplishments. Both winners are from Florida’s 24th District. In recognition of this, special guest, Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas delivered opening remarks at the ceremony. The awards, which are part of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Week Celebration, were presented by U.S SBA-Jacksonville Deputy District Director, Ralph Ross.
For more information on the SBDC at UCF, please visit their website.