CLC staff member wins award for small business work

GRAYSLAKE - Kevin Kim was chosen as the recipient of the 2021 Illinois Small Business Development and International Trade Center's State Star Award.

The State Star Award is given to someone who exhibits exemplary performance, makes a significant contribution to his or her SBDC program and shows a strong commitment to helping small businesses grow.

Kim, an international trade specialist at Illinois SBDC/ITC, was selected for his ongoing and outstanding performance and great work provided for clients, especially through the COVID-19 pandemic, and his work with the U.S. Export-Import Bank REPP Initiative and U.S. SBA collaboration, said Mark Petrilli, the state SBDC director.

"I feel so humbled and honored to be recognized as the State Star Award winner," Kim said. "I want to thank my team members for their support."

Kim will be recognized at the Illinois Entrepreneurship and Small Business Growth Association annual conference in August and during America's Small Business Development Center annual conference in September.

Kim said Lake County has a lot of business with the potential to export, and businesses learning about what the SBDC/ITC offers can help them with that process.