2023 State Star Brandon Horvath Honored in Nashville

Brandon Horvath of Benton is the 2023 State Star for Arkansas. 

State Stars from across the nation were honored at the America’s SBDC 44th Annual Conference Sept. 5-8 in Nashville.

The State Star award, the highest accolade for Small Business Development Center employees, recognizes extraordinary performers who have made significant contributions to their state network and are deeply committed to the success of America’s small businesses. Annually, one person from every state and U.S. territory is selected for the award.

Horvath is the consulting manager for the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center’s lead office at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“Brandon’s unwavering passion for empowering both new and established small businesses shines through. His profound impact is evident in his role, where he adeptly manages consulting services across a vast 29-county region while forging meaningful client relationships,” said ASBTDC State Director Laura Fine.

“Under Brandon’s leadership, our consulting team helped small businesses access $102 million in capital in last year, a new record for our network. His expertise and dedication have earned Brandon the trust and respect of both colleagues and clients alike.”

Horvath has served at every level of the ASBTDC program. He began his ASBTDC career at Henderson State University as an unpaid student intern in 2011, and progressed to graduate assistant. Next were full-time roles as business consultant and finally director of the regional office. Then in 2020 he moved to the UA Little Rock Lead Center to be the statewide network capital access specialist, before taking on his current position in 2022.

ASBTDC assists emerging, existing and expanding small businesses through a statewide network of offices. Learn more at asbtdc.org.