The winners of the inaugural Arkansas Latino Business Awards were announced at an awards ceremony Sept. 28 at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock.
The event was hosted by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, Arkansas Business Navigator and Conexion de Negocios Latinos. It recognized outstanding Latino-owned businesses and Latino small business champions across the state.
Awards were given in eight categories.
Santiago’s Bakery in Glenwood, owned by Juventino Gonzalez, was named Small Business of the Year.
The People’s Choice award winners are:
- Legacy Business of the Year – Mercado San Jose, Little Rock
- Emerging Business of the Year – Centerton Food Trucks Park, Centerton
- Food Truck of the Year – The Walking Dog, De Queen
Other winners are:
- Woman-Owned Business of the Year – Pristine by Ali Cleaning Services Residential and Commercial, owned by Ali Alcaraz of Bentonville
- Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Natali Carmona of Little Rock, owner of Get Nailed 32, an online business
- Community Organization of the Year – Mamas Unidas, based in Little Rock
- Community Champion of the Year – Arisbeth Garcia of Alas/Wings, based in Springdale
All businesses in the state of Arkansas that are at least 51% Latino owned or operated were eligible to be nominated.
Voting on the Arkansas Latino Business Awards Facebook page determined winners in the three People’s Choice categories. The rest were selected by a panel of distinguished judges.
“We are thrilled with the great response to this new awards program,” Laura Fine, state director of the ASBTDC, said in a news release. “Congratulations to all the finalists and winners.”
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