Goldman, CEO of Big Blue Bug, Named RI Small Business Person of the Year by SBA

Goldman, CEO of Big Blue Bug, Named RI Small Business Person of the Year by SBA

Brian Goldman, the CEO of Big Blue Bug Solutions, has been selected as Rhode Island’s Small Business Person of the Year.

United States Small Business Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced Goldman's selection on Thursday, citing the creation of jobs, positive contributions to the state’s economy, and support for the local community.

Goldman has been invited to Washington, D.C. to accept the award in person.

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The award is the capstone of the Small Business Week festivities, in which small business leaders from all 50 states will be honored for their contributions.

According to the SBA, "The recognition is significant, as only 50 small business leaders will be recognized out of approximately 33 million small businesses in the United States, according to Small Business Administration data."

 

RI in Focus

“I am delighted to accept this great honor on behalf of the more than 100 employees at Big Blue Bug Solutions, who share in this recognition with me,” said Goldman. “The commitment to the work and customer service values our entire team exemplifies every day is the reason why we find ourselves accepting this award. I am proud of the work we do and the manner in which we do it. It gives me great pride and pleasure to accept this on behalf not only of our team, but to represent the state of Rhode Island in this way.”

The company, founded in 1935, is recognized worldwide for the 58-foot replica of a termite on the roof of its headquarters. The Big Blue Bug has been featured in movies, TV shows and other media around the globe. Goldman grew up in the family business and always enjoyed helping out his father, Stephan Goldman.

In 2005, Brian Goldman graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Psychology and Broadcast Journalism. He initially began his career as a sports broadcaster. He worked for radio and television stations in Rhode Island, California and Texas.

However, his passion for the family business - a leader in commercial and residential pest solutions - brought him back home in 2010. Goldman started in the field as a service specialist and then worked his way up until eventually being named CEO. Since that time, the company has opened up branches throughout New England, and was recently named a Best Place To Work.

For more than 60 years, the President has issued a proclamation in observance of National Small Business Week – recognizing that small businesses are the engines of our economy, employing nearly half of the private workforce, creating two in three net new jobs, and generating more than 40 percent of America’s economic productivity.