SBA Names Western North Carolina Business Owner
2015 North Carolina Small Business Person of the Year
Charlotte, N.C. – The U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA) has named Jeff Slosman, the owner of National Wiper
Alliance (NWA) the North Carolina Small Business Person of the Year for 2015.
NWA is headquartered in Swannanoa, just outside of Asheville, NC.
NWA is a manufacturer of industrial wipes and cloths,
recycling nonwoven materials and converting them into dry wiping products. From
wash cloths to heavy duty cleaning cloths, NWA supplies re-usable and
disposable wipes to various industries in the manufacturing, food Service,
healthcare, government, and other sectors.
“I am very pleased to accept this recognition,” said
Slosman. “Not for me as an individual, but on behalf of our dedicated
employees, our loyal customers, our faithful suppliers and my very supportive family.”
Jeff was selected as the Small Business Person of the Year
due to his company’s demonstrated staying power, growth and
innovation. NWA has an impressive history as an established
business: Jeff has diversified into new products and services as he
recognized gaps in the industry – allowing the business to grow for almost 20
years.
The company started with two employees in 1996, Jeff and his
85-year-old grandfather, and initially operated out of 2,000 sq. ft. of
borrowed space. Eventually, Jeff came to recognize that many customers
had specialized needs that weren’t being met. Determined to fill that
void and yearning to create unique partnerships with vendors and customers,
Jeff began providing specialized services including labeling and packaging.
NWA also began to offer custom converting so that customers have resources to
recycle and create their own types of products. The firm also started to
offer its customers development services to assist them in launching new
products into market.
Having outgrown its original space, NWA moved into a former
blanket manufacturing facility with 500,000 sq. ft. in 2012. The company
now employs 120 and sells its products across the U.S. and to about two hundred
countries worldwide. At this time, NWA has a new product in development:
a wipe that is 2,000 times stronger than the leading paper towel and has many
other benefits as well.
One of the Small Business Person of the Year winners from
the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam will be selected
as National Small Business Person of the Year during National Small Business
Week. National Small Business Week 2015 will be observed May 4-8.
The award will be presented
locally at the 2015 Small Business Week Luncheon hosted by The Support Center
on Thursday May 7, 2015 at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley at 4500
Marriott Drive, Raleigh, NC.
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