Lucas Center for Entrepreneurship Celebrates National Small Business Week with Region's Largest Entrepreneurship Event Series
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May, 16, 2026
Lucas Center for Entrepreneurship Celebrates National Small Business Week with Region's Largest Entrepreneurship Event Series
Annual awards, pitch competitions, and community gatherings honor coastal Georgia founders and distribute more than $50,000 in prizes
BRUNSWICK, GA — The Lucas Center for Entrepreneurship marked National Small Business Week with a full slate of events that brought together entrepreneurs, investors, community leaders, and business owners from across coastal Georgia. The week included the annual Lucas Center Entrepreneurship Awards ceremony, three program pitch competitions, a marketing panel, a women-in-business mixer, and Lucas Forum, the organization's monthly gathering for the entrepreneurial community.
Taken together, the week reflected what the Lucas Center works toward every day: a region where entrepreneurship has real infrastructure, a thriving community, and where we all have skin in the game of our local businesses.
The pitch competitions drew from across the Lucas Center's cohort programs. Participants from 6SEED, ACCELER8, and ACCELER8 NonProfit competed before panels of judges, with more than $50,000 in prizes awarded. 6SEED participants spent six weeks building a go-to-market strategy to transition from side hustle to full-time business. ACCELER8 and ACCELER8 NonProfit participants spent eight weeks applying advanced business concepts to grow their companies and organizations. The competitions gave that work a public moment.
Lucas Forum, the organization's monthly community coffee held the first Wednesday of each month at 9 a.m. at the downtown Brunswick location, also convened during the week. Formerly known as 1 Million Cups, Lucas Forum is an open gathering for founders, supporters, and anyone curious about entrepreneurship in the region. The featured presenter was the soon-to-open La Playa Park, a food truck venue on Norwich St.
The Lucas Forum closed with the annual Entrepreneurship Awards, recognizing individuals and organizations whose work has demonstrated vision, perseverance, and a dedication to growth that serves more than the bottom line.
This year's honorees:
Entrepreneur of the Year — Evie Staples
Woman Entrepreneur of the Year — Lourdes Alejandro
Non-Profit Leader of the Year — Charmaine Richardson, Opportunity Uplifted
Student Entrepreneur of the Year — Madisynn Sutton, Maddi's Lemonade
Family Business of the Year — Flexer Enterprises
"Our awardees are people chosen by the community for their leadership, vision, and incredibly hard work," said Ande Noktes, President and CEO of the Lucas Center. "Taking the time to recognize our local entrepreneurs, founders, and small business leaders who commit their full selves to their work is one of the most important things we can do as a community to support them."
About the Lucas Center for Entrepreneurship The Lucas Center for Entrepreneurship is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Brunswick, Georgia, dedicated to creating economic opportunity through entrepreneurship education and resources. The Lucas Center connects founders with the mentors, tools, capital, and networks they need to build thriving businesses on the Georgia coast and beyond. To learn more or connect with the Lucas Center, visit www.lucascenter.com.
Contact: Ande Noktes, CEO at ande@lucascenter.com | (912) 254-7340
