Ann Arbor was well-represented in the latest round of awards to Michigan companies announced this week by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Of the nine award winners, three went to Ann Arbor-based entities.

And one common thread among those three local winners - aside from their appreciation for the honor - is the fact that each is looking to expand their reach.

The local winners are:

• Michigan and Midwest Region Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Stewart W. Beal, president of Beal Inc.
• Women in Business Champions: Carrie Hensel and Debra Power, co-founders and co-presidents of the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw.
• Small Business Journalist of the Year: Lucy Ann Lance, co-owner with Dean Erskine of Lance & Erskine Communications LLC and host of “Business Insider” on WLBY-AM.

Beal’s award comes from his company hiring in 2009, boosting his total employee base from 30 in April to 110 in June. Many of those positions were tied to contracts and seasonal work, but his headcount today is 50, representing a lasting year-over-year increase.

The hiring was made possible by a $600,000 SBA loan, financed through United Bank & Trust in Ann Arbor and arranged by sibling Patrick Beal, which made him eligible for consideration.

The work in 2009 made expansion of Beal Inc. into Toledo possible, Beal said. Recent jobs include a project at the Toledo Zoo, and the company is pursuing demolition and renovation work in historic neighborhoods.

More work is following for the company in Detroit, too, as the construction season takes shape.

“We’re about to ramp up again for the summer,” Beal said.

Other business growth by Beal includes the purchase of 26 properties by Beal Properties in 2009. Of those, 24 were in Ypsilanti.

Since fall, Beal has been consumed by after-effects of the fire that destroyed part of the historic Thompson Block in Ypsilanti. Temporary scaffolding blocks lanes of traffic in Depot Town, an issue that’s divided City Council as Beal seeks permission to have at least part of the scaffolding up through November.

“It’s horrible and sad that the one building people care about more than anything else is the one I couldn’t get done,” he said.

The SBA award, Beal said, “is a validation of everything I’m doing,” he said. “… I still had a good and successful year.”

The award to Hensel and Power comes from the pair setting up a volunteer-based group that runs education and networking programs for women.

The Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw started three years ago, Power said, “and the things we’ve been able to accomplish in that time is pretty incredible.”

Included on that list is helping people find jobs, creating connections among participants and generating referrals.

“We’ve also made a lot of friends,” Power said.

The group is not member-based, but its email database has grown from 75 to more than 800, including a three-fold increase since spring 2009, Power said.

The mission remains the same, Power said, but the pair brings more organization to the structure than in the beginning, Power said.

They’ve also set a goal to make the group a national organization. By fall, they’ll move events into a new market, then grow it regionally then nationally.

“We feel like we’re helping contribute to the economic growth of the region,” Power said.

Power added that she sees that regional impact from the third winner: Lance, host of “Business Insider” and winner of the SBA’s annual “Small Business Journalist of the Year” award.

Power described the many appearances by local business owners on Lance’s show as a “training ground” for gaining exposure.

Giving people that platform is important to Lance, she said.

“Being able to tell those powerful stories … makes me happy,” Lance said.

Lance and Erskine built their program model out of partnerships with other business-related groups, incluing AnnArbor.com. That model led to the program’s success, Lance said.

“It’s a forum to tie everyone together so they don’t feel like they’re out there alone trying to thrive alone in this economy,” Lance said.

The awards will be presented April 29 in Lansing during the Michigan Celebrates Small Business event.

Other winners are:
• Michigan Small Business Person of the Year: Charles Reid, president, Charter House Innovations, Holland.
• Michigan Family-Owned Business of the Year: DeWitt Barrels Inc., Marne.
• Michigan Financial Services Champion: Derek Edwards, vice president Huntington National Bank, Mt. Clemens.
• Michigan Minority Small Business Champion: William R. Ross, president, Booker T. Washington Business Association, Detroit.
• Michigan Veteran Small Business Champion: Daniel P. Whisnant, Government Sales Specialist, Stryker Medical, Portage,
• Michigan Small Business Counselor: James D. Beauchamp, senior business consultant, Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center, Escanaba.