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Hats off to state's Small Business Person of Year
Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Apr 28, 2004 by WAYNE HEILMAN THE GAZETTE
Kevin Johnson, who has taken Colorado Springs-based Elope Inc. from his parents' garage to $6 million in annual sales, has been named Colorado Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Johnson will travel to Orlando, Fla., next month as a finalist in the federal agency's annual expo, in which the nation's top small- business owner is chosen.
He is one of three Colorado Springs business owners honored by the SBA Tuesday with statewide awards.
Elope has more than tripled its sales in the past four years to $5.7 million last year. The company employs 22 and soon will buy and expand into a new building.
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Johnson and his brother, Keith, founded Elope, which stands for Everyone Laughing on Planet Earth, in 1993 in their parents' garage to sell hats from a vending cart at The Citadel mall.
The company grew from making and selling hats for snowboarders to a line of more than 400 hats, sunglasses and backpacks, including a line of Harry Potter wizard hats and glasses.
Other small business owners recognized Tuesday include:
c Shrikant Gandhi, president of Colorado Springs-based Kisan Technologies Inc. He was named the agency's Small Business Exporter of the Year. Kisan employs nine to manufacture electronic safety devices for motorcycles.
c Robert Bell, president of Colorado Springs-based Space Systems Development Inc. He received the Veteran Small Business Champion Award. He helped pass legislation requiring federal agencies to set aside some contracts for small businesses owned by disabled veterans.
Copyright 2004
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