We were thrilled to hear that Darrin Swanson, owner of Kit Masters, Inc. and Swan Machine, Inc. based in Perham, Minn., has been named the Minnesota Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The Small Business Person of the year is selected annually based on growth in sales or unit volume, increase in the number of employees, financial strength, innovativeness of product or service and evidence of contributions to community-oriented projects. Cathy Lindquist (Regional Director), Skip Carpenter (Business Consultant), and Amanda Nygaard (Program Coordinator) of the West Central Minnesota Small Business Development Center nominated Swanson for this award.

Darrin is also the current president of the Perham Area Foundation (which is administered by West Central Initiative) and the past president of both St. Henry's Area School and the Perham Chamber of Commerce. Darrin, his wife Jill, and their three sons, Randy, Paul and Mark, have been heavily involved in the Perham area by donating their time and talents to several area causes. Darrin says, "I enjoy giving back to such a great community that has given so much to me and my family,” He feels that the best years are yet to come and he and his family look forward to the next chapters in what has been the Great American Dream.

Read the entire SBA press release here.