This award was open to small business owners that have been operating for a minimum of three years, have participated in at least one type of SBA assistance and were selected based on the following criteria:

1. Staying power — a substantiated history as an established business; including but not limited to expansion, exporting, addition of territories, or growth in square footage occupied
2. Growth in number of employees — Increases over the three years must be in excess of growth in Gross Domestic Product
3. Increase in sales, net profit, and net worth
4. Response to adversity — examples of problems faced in the nominee’s business and the methods used to solve them; and 
5. Contributions to community-oriented projects — evidence of the use of his/her personal time and resources towards community-oriented projects.

Mr. McCargo’s grandfather and father were entrepreneurs, and he knew from early on in his life the economic empowerment and community building aspects of business ownership.

Mr. McCargo believed in the benefits and mission of the SBA and the 8(a) business development program.  It is this program that he credits a great deal of ARServices success.  “As I take a step back and look at my career the U.S. Small Business Association has enabled my success in many direct and indirect ways.  Through my time as a senior executive with leading prime contractors such as AT&T, Verizon, and Unisys working closely with premier small businesses teaming partners that utilized the SBA’s services and resources to utilizing them myself as an 8(a) program participant to now being selected as the SBA Person of the Year for Northern Virginia I am honored to have a connection to agency organization with such an important mission.”

For over a half-century, the SBA has taken the opportunity to highlight the impact of small business owners and others from across the nation through National Small Business Week. Winners of this year’s Small Business Awards will be privately recognized during the SBA’s annual National Small Business Week activities, held from May 1 – May 7, 2022. This year’s activities include a four-day virtual summit, featuring business development workshops, access to critical federal resources, and commercial networking opportunities. Visit www.sba.gov/nsbw for registration and program information.