By Gazette staff

MADISON – UW-Stevens Point Small Business Development Center’s Mark Speirs is one of 15 Wisconsin companies and individuals named as finalists for the 2022 MARKETPLACE Governor’s Awards — a program which honors Wisconsin businesses owned by minorities, women and service-disabled veterans, and their advocates.

Winners will be announced this month, at the 41st annual MARKETPLACE: the Governor’s Conference on Diverse Business Development.

Speirs, a business counselor at the Small Business Development Center at UW-Stevens Point, in Stevens Point, was a finalist in the Diverse “Business Champion of the Year Award” category.

Other categories include: “Outstanding Business Award,” “CEO of the Year Award,” and “Thought Leadership Excellence Award.”

“Entering its 41st year, MARKETPLACE helps Wisconsin businesses learn about contracting with state, federal and local agencies as well as corporations, which represent billions of dollars of annual purchasing power,” a Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation stated.

“While MARKETPLACE is open to all Wisconsin business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, conference content is specifically crafted for small, minority-owned, woman-owned, veteran-owned and LGBTQ-owned business enterprises and HUBZone businesses. These companies can connect with resources and potentially make a deal or lay the framework for a future contract.”

For more information, visit marketplacewisconsin.com.