05/07/2026
And that’s a wrap on Small Business Day 2026!
We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who joined us yesterday and helped make the event such a success. The day was filled with meaningful conversations, fresh perspectives, and inspiring stories from business owners and leaders across North Carolina.
Throughout the morning, our clients and panelists shared thoughtful conversations around what it takes to build and sustain a strong financial foundation, as well as how businesses can create and maintain a healthy workplace culture and workforce. Their experiences, lessons learned, and honest perspectives made for engaging and impactful, and sometimes funny, discussions. We also appreciated hearing from IRS Stakeholder Liaison Paul Sadler, who shared valuable tax tips and important information for small business owners.
One of the highlights of the day was recognizing some of the amazing businesses making an impact across our state. Congratulations again to Aviator Brewing, named the SBA’s 2026 Small Business of the Year, and Mojotone, recognized as the SBA’s 2026 Exporter of the Year!
We were also excited to hear from the NC Chamber about Carolina HealthWorks and the innovative ways they are helping revolutionize healthcare access for small businesses across North Carolina. We were especially proud to recognize NC Chamber President and CEO Gary Salamido as our Small Business Advocate of the Year. It was a pleasure to recognize the incredible work Gary continues to do in support of small businesses across the state.
It truly was an incredible day, and none of it would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our team, speakers, panelists, partners, and attendees.
Thank you again to everyone who helped make Small Business Day 2026 such a memorable event. We’re already looking forward to Small Business Day 2027!