WASHINGTON, March 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the morning of March 1, 2007 a massive tornado struck the city of Enterprise, Alabama. Immediately, Mayor Kenneth Boswell took command of the situation, ordering supplemental support from a nearby military facility and directing his staff to assist the frantic callers to their 911 switchboard. As information poured in, he soon learned two schools were destroyed.
A roof at the high school collapsed, killing eight teenagers. Boswell contacted the parents, making grief counselors and clergy available. To protect the families from the media glare, the mayor took measures to insure that the parents were able to grieve in privacy.
Boswell's quick thinking, leadership and communications skills guided Enterprise through a tragedy. His continued guidance helped the community to recover. His exceptional effort has earned him the 2008 Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions To Disaster Recovery by a Public Official.
The award will be presented during the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) National Small Business Week 2008, to be held in Washington, D.C and New York City April 21-25.
"The Phoenix Award is an acknowledgment of an individual's heroic effort and recognition of contributions to the physical and economic recovery of their communities," said SBA Administrator Steve Preston. "Mayor Boswell displayed tremendous courage and resourcefulness in the aftermath of the disaster, and he exemplifies the spirit one must have to rebuild after a tragedy like this." This marks the 10th year the SBA has given Phoenix Awards to business owners, public officials and volunteers who displayed courage, ingenuity and tenacity in the aftermath of a disaster, while contributing to the rebuilding of their communities.
The SBA makes low-interest, taxpayer-backed disaster loans to homeowners, renters, and businesses of all sizes. Following the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes, the SBA has approved more than $10.9 billion in disaster loans to more than 160,000 hurricane survivors, the largest response in the agency's 55-year history. To find out more about the SBA's disaster assistance program, visit the Web site at http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/.
For more information about National Small Business Week, visit http://www.sba.gov/sbw.
Small Business Week 2008 cosponsors include: Sam's Club, Administaff, Raytheon, IBM, Chevron, Cisco, Lockheed Martin, Lowe's, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Minority Business Development Agency, MyBizHomepage, Dun & Bradstreet, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, Consumer Energy, Alliance, National Federation of Independent Business, and SCORE The U.S. Small Business Administration's participation in this cosponsored activity does not constitute an express or implied endorsement of any cosponsor's, donor's, grantee's, contractor's or participant's opinions, products, or services. All SBA programs and cosponsored programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable arrangements for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least 2 weeks in advance, by contacting . Cosponsorship Authorization #SBW2008 DATASOURCE: U.S. Small Business Administration CONTACT: Carol Chastang of the U.S. Small Business Administration, +1-202-205-6987 Web Site: http://www.sba.gov/
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