Iowa Business Owner Chosen as First Runner-Up for National Small Business Person of the Year

Joanne Stockdale of Northern Iowa Die Casting Inc. - An SBA Success Story

WASHINGTON - Joanne Stockdale, president and owner of Northern Iowa Die Casting, Inc., a $10 million per year maker of quality alloy castings for manufacturer clients in Lake Park, Iowa, was selected as the first runner-up for the 2003 National Small Business Person of the Year during ceremonies at the National Entrepreneurial Conference and Expo in Washington, D.C. on September 18, 2003.

Stockdale bought Northern Iowa Die Casting, Inc. in 1984 when it was on the brink of failure, down to six employees, obsolete equipment and a single customer. With the help of an SBA-backed loan, she turned the company around. Today, Northern Iowa Die Casting, Inc. has 100 employees casting eight different alloys on 11 casting machines. The company manufactures zinc and aluminum castings for original equipment manufacturers in seven states and five countries. Sales have gone from $225,000 in 1984 to $10 million in 2002 - an astounding 4,344 percent increase. Between 1996 and 2002 alone, sales doubled from $5 million to $10 million.

This is the 40th year for the annual National Small Business Person of the Year award. The winners and the two runners-up were selected from among the state Small Business Persons of the Year representing the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. The national small business awards are a highlight of SBA’s National Entrepreneurial Conference and Expo this week in Washington, D.C. The National Entrepreneurial Conference and Expo this year marks the SBA’s 50th anniversary as a federal agency and honors the contributions of the nation’s small business owners. The winners are selected on their record of stability, growth in employment and sales, financial condition, innovation, response to adversity, and community service.

For more information on the these companies and on the rest of the state Small Business Person of the Year award winners, visit the SBA Web site at<http://www.sba.gov/50/winners.html>

Small Business Administration. (2003).  Iowa Business Owner Chosen as First Runner-Up for National Small Business Person of the Year. Retrieved May 18, 2006, From http://www.sba.gov/ia/desmo/IA_DESMO_SUCCESS.html