NBDC Client Announced as 2020 Nebraska Small Business Person of the Year Award Winner by SBA Nebraska District Office

Omaha, Nebraska – Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is pleased to announce Rakesh Srivastava has been named as the 2020 SBA Nebraska Small Business Person of the Year by the SBA Nebraska District Office.

Administrator Jovita Carranza, the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration formally announced National Small Business Week, May 3-9, 2020, along with the 2020 Small Business Persons of the Year winners from throughout the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The winners have been invited to attend ceremonies in Washington, D.C., on May 3-4, where they will be honored with their individual award. During the ceremonies, the SBA will announce the 2020 National Small Business Person of the Year among the individual winners represented from across the U.S. and territories.

Rakesh Srivastava has been named as the 2020 SBA Nebraska Small Business Person of the Year. Srivastava started his Hastings-based business, Innovative Prosthetics & Orthotics in 2006 and has since expanded operations into Omaha and Grand Island. The company provides comprehensive prosthetics, orthotics and Durable Medical Equipment services.

A prosthetics user himself due to a childhood accident, Srivastava began his career in a rehabilitation center in New Delhi, India. He has since relocated to the US and received his MA from University of Nebraska Kearney, and is currently certified by the American Board of Certified Prosthetics and Orthotists.

Srivastava received business assistance on multiple occasions from the U. S. Small Business Administration’s partner, the Nebraska Business Development Center in Grand Island. NBDC’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center staff met with Srivastava in 2013 to help him pursue government contracts with the Department of Veterans Affairs, and in 2015 he met with NBDC’s Technology Commercialization Team to help him obtain a prototype grant through the state of Nebraska. Most recently, Srivastava has been working with NBDC Business Counselor Sara Bennett to expand his current business operations to include 3-D printing capabilities and has started an affiliate company, Shabri, LLC, to begin manufacturing custom-made prosthetics devices for patients through the use of 3-D printing technology.

Bennett says, “Rakesh and his team at Innovative Prosthetics & Orthotics have done an outstanding job in growing the company, providing insight to the industry, and devising innovative ways to adapt prosthetic devices in the market. He is truly making an impact in improving the quality of life of amputees and prosthetic and orthotic users. Rakesh’s giving spirit of improving his community of Hastings and helping to open prosthetic clinics in India further solidifies his character and exemplifies remarkable qualities of an entrepreneur.”

This community spirit, coupled with his long-term business success and job creation, led to his selection as the SBA Nebraska Small Business Person of the Year for 2020. “I am excited to recognize Rakesh Srivastava as the Nebraska state winner,” says Leon Milobar, District Director of the SBA Nebraska District Office. “Small businesses are the life blood of Nebraska’s economy, and Small Business Week is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the hard work companies like Innovative Prosthetics & Orthotics perform in our local communities.”

National Small Business Week will be observed May 3-9, 2020 with events around the country. Administrator Carranza will start the week in Washington, D.C., where she will recognize and award outstanding small business owners and SBA Resource Partners from around the nation. She will continue the week meeting with local entrepreneurs, visiting small businesses, and holding roundtable discussions with community leaders in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Pa., Charlotte, N.C., Denver, Colo. and Anaheim, Calif.

About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster.
It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

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