Based on the high level of positive community response, The Small Business Development Center at Florida Gulf Coast University has extended the nomination deadline for the Inaugural Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The new deadline for nominations is Monday, April 16.

The Inaugural Entrepreneur of the Year Award will recognize a small to mid-sized Southwest Florida business for its overall success as well as provide an opportunity for the local business community to celebrate its achievements.

Community members are encouraged to nominate a local business from the five-county area (Collier, Lee, Glades, Hendry and Charlotte) for consideration as the inaugural Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Strong candidates will be in business for three or more years; display a high level of overall success; and be able to demonstrate their innovations, achievements and local impact.

Full nomination rules and eligibility can be found at www.sbdcawards.com . Entries will be judged by an expert panel of community business leaders headed by Tim Cartwright, chairman of Tamiami Angel Fund I, LLC.

The award will be presented at the Inaugural Entrepreneur of the Year Awards and Dinner from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 23, in the ballroom at the Cohen Center on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus. WINK News Radio Anchor Jim McLaughlin will serve as the event’s emcee. The event’s keynote speaker will be Carl L. Gould, a lifelong entrepreneur, business mentor and award-winning coach who created the largest business mentoring organization in the world (www.carlgould.com).

Presenting sponsor for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award is Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Co. Event sponsors include Busey Bank; Brennan, Manna & Diamond, Attorneys & Counselors at Law; Southwest Florida Regional Technology Partnership; Dolphin Global Technology Solutions; Gator Press Printing; Guerilla Media; Photo Magic; Relevanza; Wells Fargo; John Fernandez Photography; Slick Ink ALL MEDIA and Third Eye Management. The event’s media sponsor is Gulfshore Business magazine.

Tickets for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award and Dinner are $100 per person, or $75 per person until April 15. For tickets and to learn more about exclusive sponsorship opportunities, visit www.sbdcawards.com or call Dan Regelski at (239) 745-3705.