Small Business Administration Announces 2020 Winners

Albert (Al) J. Letizio, Jr., owner of A.J. Letizio Sales and Marketing, Inc of Windham, was selected the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) New Hampshire Small Business Person of the Year. He also received the Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Small Business of the Year award.

The SBA's NH awards recognize outstanding small business owners and recipients will be honored at a conference during National Small Business Week in early May. Letizio will also compete with the Nation’s top small businesses for the honor of National Small Business Person of the Year.

A.J. Letizio Sales & Marketing was founded 31 years ago and is continuing a five-generation family legacy in the food industry. Customers include retail supermarket chains, independent retailers, convenience and club stores, and the foodservice sector including wholesale food distributors, hotels, restaurants and institutional food users.

“My father always reminded me that a man doesn’t build a business, a man builds an organization and the organization builds the business,” said Letizio. “I’ve never forgotten that advice, and no better example exists of this lesson than with our company. Working with this great team is the absolute honor of my career. We are ever mindful of our proud family legacy, yet we remain focused on the horizon and prepared for our future.”

“It is rare for us to recognize a business in two categories, but A.J. Letizio Sales and Marketing, Inc. stood out as both our Small Business Person of the Year and as our Family-Owned Business of the Year,” said Greta Johansson, district director of the NH SBA office."

Other 2020 Small Business Award Winners are:

Micro-Enterprise: Hammar’s Art Studio & Cultural Center in Pelham

• Exporter: Beta Acquisition, Inc, dba Comptus in Thornton
• Veteran-Owned: Stephen Cunningham, National Flight Simulator in Manchester
• Woman-Owned: Suzanne Foley, Port City Pretzels in Portsmouth
• Minority-Owned: Megan Giokas, Granite Commercial Real Estate in Nashua
• Financial Services Champion: Primary Bank of Bedford

Winners will be honored on May 6th at the Manchester Country Club. For more information contact Cheryl A. Croto, Cheryl.croto@sba.gov or call 603-225-1407.

Pictured above: Albert J. Letizio, Jr., (Standing far right), owner of A.J. Letizio Sales and Marketing, Inc, with several members of his family.