Agdia, Inc (Elkhart, IN) co-owners Baziel Vrient and Albert Vrient have been named the 2016 Indiana Small Business Persons of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA).
Albert Vrient (left) and Baziel Vrient (right)
The SBA annually awards a “Small Business Person(s) of the Year” from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. The nominees are selected based on a number of criteria that include the company’s history of growth in revenue and staff, the innovativeness of their products and / or services, as well as their contributions to the community.
Agdia was founded in 1981 and is entering its 35th year in business. They serve more than 150 countries with diagnostic solutions aimed at detecting plant pathogens and specific proteins that are produced by transgenic (GMO) crops. “Agdia has always been focused on innovation and identifying ways to make testing accessible to any type of end-user, not just laboratory people. Plant disease is responsible for billions of dollars of loss in the agricultural every year. The more tools people have to prevent and tackle disease issues, the better chance they have to grow higher quality crops” says Baziel Vrient, Agdia’s President.
Vrient went on to say that “Albert and I are proud to receive this award for Agdia as well as for the state of Indiana. But more importantly I want to recognize all of our employees that make this business happen on a day to day basis as well as Chet and Jane Sutula for founding this business that provides a livelihood for 60 people and touches millions of lives on a day to day basis. Also a special thanks goes out to Dana Trowbridge, Vice President of Business Banking for the First State Bank of Middlebury as well as Dan Jones, President of the Business Development Corp for nominating us for the award as well as having a firm belief in Agdia and the value we bring to the agricultural industry.”
Albert Vrient, Operations Manager of Agdia, also stated “We are excited to receive the recognition from the SBA and to be selected as Indiana’s Small Business Persons of the year. This is a humbling award that would not be possible without having an elite team beside us everyday striving to offer the best possible products and services to the agricultural industry. This award is as much theirs as it is ours.”
The father-son team are now eligible to be selected as the National Small Business Persons of the year during National Small Business week in Washington D.C. The winner will be selected the first week of May.