AWC Small Business Center Wins SBA Excellence Award for Regional Impact

Crystal Mendoza stood before her peers on April 7, 2025, accepting the Excellence Award from the Arizona District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration, a recognition built on a year of concrete results: 41 new businesses launched, 121 full-time jobs created, and $3.2 million in capital formed across Yuma and La Paz counties in fiscal year 2024.

"I am truly honored and deeply grateful to receive the Arizona Small Business Development Center of Excellence Award," said Mendoza, who directs the Small Business Development Center at Arizona Western College. "This recognition means so much to my team and me, and we are incredibly thankful for the opportunity to serve and support Arizona's small business community."

The center's 2024 numbers also included support for more than 1,633 entrepreneurs and $3.2 million in sales growth, all generated from its office at the AWC Reskilling and Technology Center at 1351 S. Redondo Center Drive. That single location serves a territory stretching roughly 10,037 square miles across Yuma and La Paz counties, with counseling available in person at AWC campuses and county libraries, or remotely via Zoom and Microsoft Teams. All services are offered in both English and Spanish.

The SBDC has operated in Yuma since 1995, and in 2024 it expanded its reach further, adding Quartzsite and Parker to its service area. The center also hosted a Moonshot Pitch Competition in June 2024 for local entrepreneurs.

A $50,000 AHEAD grant from AEA Federal Credit Union and FHLBank San Francisco is now funding deeper outreach into underserved minority, rural, and low-to-moderate income communities across both counties. Mendoza said the funding covers staff retention, rural travel costs, and marketing.

Yuma's location sharpens the SBDC's broader significance: the city sits at the edge of both the California and Mexico markets, a combined economic zone that would rank fifth among all nations by GDP. Entrepreneurs can reach Mendoza at crystal.mendoza@azwestern.edu or (928) 317-6151.