Five larger businesses that once were small, but received SBA assistance and now have grown and prospered, are slated to be honored as inductees into the U.S. Small Business Administration's Hall of Fame May 21, in Orlando, Fla. The ceremony will take place at SBA Expo '04, the agency's May 19-21 conference celebrating National Small Business Week.

The 2004 Hall of Fame inductees are:

* Herr Foods Inc. of Nottingham, Penn., began as a small potato chip company and grew to be a large regional manufacturer and marketer of snack food items in nearly a dozen states;

* The Quizno's Master LLC, based in Denver, Colo. Quizno's started as a single restaurant and now boasts more than 2,500 outlets in more than a dozen countries and is the number two sandwich chain in the country;

* Fabrica International from Santa Ana, Calif., produces some of the world's most beautiful floor coverings and distributes to high-end retail stores, furniture stores and interior decorating companies worldwide;

* Dimensions International based in Alexandria, Va., began as a three- person start-up business and grew as a global innovator in information technology, logistics operations, and airspace management, with 600 employees worldwide in 71 offices;

* Columbia Sportswear of Portland, Ore., weathered many business storms over several decades and eventually grew to become one of the world's largest outdoor apparel and footwear companies overseeing its products in use across five continents.

"What few people realize is that these well established businesses started out small and received help at varying points along the way from the U.S. Small Business Administration," SBA Administrator Hector V. Barreto said. "Their success was the result of hard work, good business practices, and an unwavering commitment to succeed and grow. The SBA is proud to have played a small part in the pursuit of their dreams and those of many more small businesses like them across this country."

Barreto will present the CEOs and top officers of these firms with their Hall of Fame trophies during the closing ceremony of SBA Expo '04 in Orlando, on Friday, May 21, at the end of National Small Business Week. The plaques commemorating these inductees will be displayed in the SBA's headquarters along with previous winners. Accepting the Hall of Fame awards for their respective companies are: Richard E. Schaden, chairman, president and CEO, The Quizno's Master LLC; Al Frink, executive vice president and co-founder, Fabrica International; James S. Herr, president, Herr Foods; Russell T. Wright, chairman and CEO, and Dr. Robert L. Wright, chairman emeritus, Dimensions International; and Gertrude Boyle, chairwoman, Columbia Sportswear Company. Nominations for inductees were received from district and regional SBA offices around the country.

In addition to having received SBA assistance at some point, each nominated business was required to meet the following criteria: exemplary leadership in the business community; outstanding innovation; sustained growth, creating jobs and opportunities for others in their community; great diligence to overcome significant hardships to achieve success; and outstanding dedication to their community.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is a proud partner in this nation's ongoing mission to create an environment in which small businesses can grow and thrive. Small business owners from across the country will be in Orlando to participate in Business Matchmaking, informative business sessions, a town hall meeting and in celebrations honoring outstanding small businesses at SBA Expo '04, co-sponsored by SCORE, "Counselors to America's Small Business."