Five Central Mass. biz owners honored as small business owners of the year

Five Central Mass. business owners will be honored during National Small Business week, as part of their receiving a number of Massachusetts small business owner of the year awards from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

National Small Business Week 2020 will take place from May 3 to May 9.

The Central Mass. award recipients, which were announced last month, are:

• Massachusetts Small Business Person of the Year – Brian Geisel, CEO of Worcester technology firm Geisel Software
• Massachusetts Minority-owned Business of the Year – Tony Fields, CEO of Leominster IT firm Cleartech Group
• Massachusetts Veteran-owned Business of the Year – David Winchester, owner of Ready 2 Run Graphics & Signs in Worcester
• Massachusetts 8A Graduate of the Year – Marianne Lancaster, owner of Lancaster Packaging in Hudson
• Massachusetts Small Manufacturer of the Year – Kathryn Ernst, owner of Twist Bakery and Cafe in Millis

The U.S. president has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week every year since 1963.