Center staff Jerry Terwilliger and Eugene Rahn both received awards recently recognizing their outstanding work with the Center for Rural Affairs Rural Enterprise Assistance Project (REAP). Jerry received the 2009 Small Business Administration Nebraska Financial Services Champion of the Year Award and Eugene received the Nebraska Enterprise Fund Outstanding Service Award.

Jerry’s 2009 Small Business Administration Nebraska Financial Services Champion of the Year Award was for outstanding work in the Nebraska Panhandle. Ingrid Battershell, Director of the Nebraska Business Development Center at Scottsbluff and Barb Foster, with SBA’s Omaha office presented the award.

The Nebraska Business Development Center in Scottsbluff nominated Jerry for this award. In all instances, Ingrid found Jerry to be professional, knowledgeable and truly caring about the clients. “He uses his career experience and his community involvement to further the cause of entrepreneurship.”

Eugene’s Nebraska Enterprise Fund Outstanding Service Award was for his work in reaching the six million dollar level in micro lending. NEF Executive Director Rose Jaspersen presented the award at the “Celebrate Microenterprise” Breakfast in Lincoln. Gene serves the north central region for the Center’s REAP program.

Kristin Simonson, economic developer for Keya Paha, Brown and Rock Counties, described in a letter that Gene “acts as a great ambassador for small businesses in the state of Nebraska,” and that, “he’s worth his weight in gold for all that he does to assist small and micro businesses in the region.”

Congratulations to Jerry and Gene for receiving these outstanding awards! More information about the awards and the REAP program can be viewed at www.cfra.org/reap.