Startup Talk: SBA names small business winners for 2016; Galley Innovations chosen for Arkansas
by March 17, 2016 5:56 am 155 views
Editor’s note: Each Thursday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Startup Talk,” a round-up of startup, technology and entrepreneurial news.
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SBA NAMES SMALL BUSINESS POY WINNERS FOR 2016; GALLEY INNOVATIONS CHOSEN FOR ARKANSAS
The U.S. Small Business Administration recently announced this year’s Small Business Person of the Year winners from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. All of the winners have been invited to attend ceremonies in Washington, D.C on May 1-2 where they will be awarded their individual awards along with recognition of the runners-up and the naming of the 2016 National Small Business Person of the Year. Gina and Wade Radke, the CEO and COO, respectively, of Galley Support Innovations in Sherwood, were named this year’s Arkansas winners.
Each year since 1963, the president has issued a proclamation calling for the celebration of National Small Business Week. National Small Business Week is set as the first week in May, and this year the dates are May 1-7 with national events planned in Washington, D.C., New York City, Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix and San Jose and Oakland, Calif. Arkansas will host its Small Business Awards luncheon midday on Tuesday, May 3 at west Little Rock’s Embassy Suites.
GM BUYS WEST COAST STARTUP THAT SPECIALIZES IN SELF-DRIVING SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY
General Motors Co. announced it is acquiring Cruise Automation in San Francisco to further accelerate the auto giant’s development of autonomous vehicle technology, or the self-driving car. Cruise will operate as an independent unit within GM’s recently formed Autonomous Vehicle Development Team led by Doug Parks, GM vice president of autonomous technology and vehicle execution, and will continue to be based in San Francisco.
Founded in 2013, Cruise has moved quickly to develop and test autonomous vehicle technology software in the Bay City area. The acquisition of Cruise is GM’s latest step toward its goal of redefining the future of personal mobility. Since the beginning of the year, GM has entered into a strategic alliance with ride-sharing company Lyft; formed Maven, its personal mobility brand for car-sharing fleets in many U.S. cities; and established a separate unit for autonomous vehicle development.
SIX FLAGS UNVEILS ‘VIRTUAL REALITY’ ROLLER COASTER
Six Flags Over Texas recently announced the opening of The New Revolution Virtual Reality Coaster, the first fully-integrated Virtual Reality (VR) roller coaster featuring ground-breaking technology using Samsung Gear VR, powered by Oculus. In partnership with Samsung, the state-of-the-art technology will sync the high-definition imagery and storytelling with the unique track configuration allowing guests to experience sensations like a real fighter pilot while blasting through two inside loops across nearly 3,400 feet of steel track. The New Revolution Virtual Reality Coaster will debut to the general public on Saturday, March 26.
SBA PROMOTES STEM-BASED INNOVATION WITH NATIONAL 2016 SBIR ROAD TOUR
The Small Business Administration is launching a 20-state road tour, joined by 11 fellow federal agencies in the SBA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs to support (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) STEM-related small businesses. Each SBIR Road Tour stop will be hosted by a local organization committed to supporting technology-based entrepreneurship, and will provide attendees a face-to-face opportunity to talk directly to program managers and decision makers from several federal agencies. For more information or to see the list of cities on the SBIR Road Tour, visit here.