HCEDA Recognizes Five Business Stars at Annual CBED Awards

Howard County recognized three outstanding business leaders and awarded two entrepreneurial scholarships at its 14th Annual Committee for Business and Economic Diversity (CBED) Awards Program and Breakfast Gala held at Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville.
As the nation celebrated Small Business Week from April 21 to 25, the CBED Awards Program, hosted by the Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA), honored:

Business Achievement
CentreTEK
Founded by JosŽ Maldonado and his best friend, Jay Miller, in 2001, CentreTEK has become an innovative IT solutions company located in Historic Ellicott City. Starting with just two employees, by the end of its first year, CentreTEK had developed a staff of about two dozen IT consultants. Today, CentreTEK is a successful firm with 55 employees.
After suffering a devastating stroke in 2002 that caused paralysis and aphasia, Maldonado committed himself to a grueling regimen of therapy for five to six days a week. With the help of his family and friends, he miraculously recovered and today, Maldonado is back at CentreTEK. He now spends his time between responsibilities at CentreTEK and counseling other stroke sufferers through local stroke survivor groups.

Business Diversity Achievement
Audacious Inquiry
Founded in 2004 by Christopher Brandt, Audacious Inquiry is an innovative management and technology consulting firm. The company works with client organizations to maximize positive outcomes and minimize risks, particularly in health information systems and digital marketing domains.
Audacious Inquiry is committed to people and partners of diverse backgrounds and has team members from China, India and the U.S. from Pakistani, Venezuelan and Mexican backgrounds. Community support and involvement is a cornerstone of the company's efforts; employees are encouraged to participate in community leadership and service endeavors.
In addition to its volunteer efforts, in 2007, Audacious Inquiry donated more than $10,000 to various charities in the areas of art, entrepreneurship, education, health care and crisis intervention, and intends to continue its tradition of giving.

Individual Achievement
Doralee Billings, Small Office Solutions
Doralee Billings started Small Office Solutions in 2000, working part-time. Within three years, the company had grown to a full-time business providing accounting and administrative services to small and medium-sized companies.
Billings is a QuickBooks Certified Pro and during the past eight years has worked with more than 50 companies. In addition to running Small Office Solutions, she has pursued her passion for advancing and supporting women in business. She has served on the board of directors of the Business Women's Network (BWN) of Howard County for the past three years and is currently the organization's president.
The BWN not only supports women in business, but is also an active supporter of the community at large. It supports Success In Style, the Domestic Violence Center and awards LifeLong Learning Scholarships to deserving women around the county.

HCGH Rising Business Star Scholarships
Leo Carelle Garcia,
Reservoir High School
As a part of his Academy of Finance class, Leo Carelle Garcia enrolled in an entrepreneurship course at Howard Community College entitled Technology Transfer: From Invention to Market. With his team, Leo devised an exceptional marketing plan for an existing patented technology from The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory called Radiance Library Forecasting for Time-Critical Hyperspectral Target Detection Systems.
The marketing plan was so germane that the inventor of the technology congratulated Garcia personally, then shared the team's presentation and marketing plan with his coworkers. Garcia values the knowledge gained through his class and believes his experiences will serve as stepping stones toward his future success.

Elinor Oziel,
Marriotts Ridge High School
Elinor Ruth Oziel is a highly motivated student with great aspirations for her future. During the next 10 years, Oziel plans to double major in Mechanical Engineering and Business Law at Salisbury University on Maryland's Eastern Shore. As a mechanical engineer, Oziel wants to design products to help aid those blind or disabled in society.
She feels it is her responsibility to ease the difficulties of those disabled by creating new inventions or technology for their needs. Ultimately, Oziel's goal is to change society with the technology advancement she plans to make in her life.