The Advocate of the Year Awardee Amanda Jaron - Florida Small Business Development Center at Florida Gulf Coast University

Amanda Jaron wins 2018 Small Business Advocate of the Year from FGCU and Small Business Admin

Florida Weekly:

The Florida Small Business Development Center at Florida Gulf Coast University announced the winners of the 2018 Distinguished Entrepreneur of Southwest Florida Awards at the annual awards dinner on May 3.

The FSBDC awards are held annually during National Small Business Week to recognize three Southwest Florida small businesses for their innovation, advocacy, and business growth.

This year’s awardees include Distinguished Entrepreneur of SW Florida, Scott Fischer, owner of Scott Fischer Enterprises; Innovator of the Year, Jeff Poirier of AXI International; and Advocate of the Year, Amanda Jaron, owner of A.JARON Fine Jewelry. An additional award presentation included the William O. Webb award, which was presented to Melody Augustin of The Makeup Mansion.

“We celebrate the business owners that took an idea, grew that idea into a business, and created a positive impact on the economy in the Southwest Florida community,” said Lois Knox, FSBDC regional director.

Mr. Fischer is the owner of Scott Fischer Enterprises and has worked in the motorsports industry since he was 15, purchasing his first motorcycle store in 1988 and building it into Scott Fischer Enterprises. He owns and operates Top Rocker Events and Top Rocker Field, an 18-acre event site. He is active in the community, sitting on the boards for Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida, Blessings in a Backpack, Cypress Lake Country Club and Tamiami Angel Fund. As a visionary-philanthropist, he supports and mentors startups, incubators, and accelerators with strategic, operational and business planning.

The Innovator of the Year, Jeff Poirier, has developed a myriad of new products and systems to facilitate Intelligent Fuel Management solutions. A graduate of the University of Maine with a master’s in mechanical engineering, he also holds an MBA from Davenport University. He specializes in the following engineering topics: optimization techniques, numerical methods, fluid flow control, finite element method, 3D CAD Development, and robotic controls.

As the CEO, and designer of A JARON Fine Jewelry, she is best known for her signature “BLING-OVER” fine jewelry make-overs that take old/outdated designer jewels and repurpose them over into shiny new pieces that can wear every day. Also, her charitable collection, A JARON Cares, has sold thousands of $99 rings to support SWFL children in need for the past 10 years.

She spends her time split between her family, her custom fine jewelry design clients and the foundation she founded in 2013, The GLITTER Foundation Inc. which supports Art Education & Art Therapy for children in SWFL.

Previous winners of the awards include Norman Love of Norman Love Confections in 2012, Pam Oakes of Pam’s Motor City in 2013, Felix Lluberes of Position Logic in 2013, Gary K. Mart of Global Tech LED in 2015, Chris Spiro of Spiro and Associates in 2016 and Dr. Aurora Badia of Florida Skin Center in 2017. ¦