[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1347-E1348]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        JAMES ETTER HONORED BY THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 25, 2003

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I want to share with our colleagues that Mr. 
James Etter has been selected by the Small Business Administration, 
SBA, as a Virginia Small Business and Business Advocate Award winner, 
and named the Veteran Small Business Advocate of the Year for 2003. Mr. 
Etter is founder/chancellor of American Public University in Manassas, 
VA, and was also a winner at the regional level, receiving the Region 
III SBA award. SBA's Region III includes the States of Delaware, 
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of 
Columbia. As the Region III winner, Mr. Etter is one of only 10 
Veteran's Advocate winners in the Nation.
  Mr. Etter, a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, founded the 
university in 1991 to find innovative ways to empower veterans and 
active duty military, by providing educational opportunities. The 
university courses are delivered exclusively through distance learning. 
Before distance learning was an everyday concept, James Etter developed 
a way for veterans and active duty military stationed abroad or locked 
into rigid schedules to work toward their undergraduate or master of 
arts degrees. From an initial enrollment of 18 students, American 
Public University has grown to over 10,000 registered students, of 
which approximately 70 percent are active and reserve duty military. 
The nearly 600 faculty, 76 percent of whom are veterans, provide 
instruction and mentoring to students from all 50 States and 30 
countries. I have been told that the university maintains the most 
expansive military studies, strategy and history curriculum in the 
world. Continuing education, through the flexibility of distance 
learning, affords veterans and active duty military the foundation they 
need to become entrepreneurs.
  Virginia's SBA Award winners were honored at an Awards Gala in May 
that also celebrated the Small Business Administration's Richmond 
District Office's 50th Anniversary. Mr. Etter was nominated for the 
award by Linda Decker, who serves as president and CEO of the Flory 
Small Business Center in Manassas. She also serves as the chairman of 
the Virginia Small Business Awards Foundation.
  Other winners included: Virginia Small Business Persons of the Year--
Sharon Bennett, Founder & CEO and Evan Wooton, President, Premier Pet 
Products, LLC, Richmond; Runners Up for Small Business Person of the 
Year--Maxanne Taverniti, Williamsburg Group Tour Service, Williamsburg 
and James Cheng, President, Computer & Hi-Tech Management, Inc., 
Virginia Beach; Small Business Accountant Advocate of the Year--
Elizabeth Moore, Partner, Goodman & Company, LLP, Newport News; Small 
Business Exporter of the Year--Marti Morenings, Universal Companies, 
Inc., Bristol; Financial Services Advocate of the Year--Teresa Walker, 
Vice President and Senior Community Development Officer, Wachovia 
Corporation, Roanoke; Small Business Journalist of the Year--Mary 
Flachsenhaar, Inside Business, Norfolk; Minority Small Business 
Advocate of the Year--Dr.

[[Page E1348]]

Donald Jones, Director, Office of Minority Procurement, University of 
Virginia, Charlottesville; Women in Business Advocate of the Year--
Claire Gastanaga, Principal, CG2 Consulting, Richmond; Young 
Entrepreneur of the Year--Bryce Lee Robertson, LowTechWeb.com, 
Mechanicsville and Entrepreneurial Success of the Year--Dennis Gilbert, 
President, Tesoro Corporation, Virginia Beach.

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