Frequently Asked Questions

The 2025 Michigan Celebrates Small Business Awards gala will be held April 21-22, 2025.

The 2025 Michigan Celebrates Small Business event will be held in the Greater Lansing area on April 21 & 22.

April 21:

Legislator Luncheon and Small Business Summit – Lansing Center
VIP Reception – Lansing Center

April 22:

Capitol Day – Grewal Hall
Gala – Breslin Center

All are welcome that want to celebrate and support Michigan small businesses.

The MCSB awards gala is the “Academy Awards” of the Michigan small business community. It is attended by growing companies, community leaders, and others that seek to recognize the most significant contributions of small business to the Michigan economy.

MCSB is planning a spectacular and engaging evening full of excitement to celebrate our small business awardees.

The awards program is made possible through the support of our sponsors. Please contact Winston Larson for details.

If you have additional questions about Michigan Celebrates Small Business, please contact us at info@michigancelebrates.org or (517) 482-8788.

Michigan Celebrates Small Business (MCSB) is a non-profit 501(c)3 that represents one of the most substantial collaborations of small business support resources in the nation. MCSB exists to raise the profile of small businesses in Michigan, build a network of entrepreneurial companies, and tell the stories of successful, growing Michigan entrepreneurs.

MCSB is driven by nearly one-hundred small business support organizations from across the state.  Central among those are the statewide organizations that founded the program in 2004:

• Edward Lowe Foundation
• Michigan Business Network
• Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
• Michigan Small Business Development Center (SBDC) – Managing Partner of Awards Gala
• Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM)
• U.S. Small Business Administration – Michigan District Office

See the Awards page for a complete list of award types and eligibility criteria.

It is an awards program honoring second-stage companies headquartered in the state of Michigan. These companies demonstrate high performance in the marketplace or exhibit innovative products or processes. The awards program is designed to seek businesses from a wide range of industries representing all regions of the state, not just the major metropolitan areas. This is not an award of the “top 50” or “best” companies—the 50 companies selected each year make an astounding impact on Michigan’s economy by collectively providing thousands of jobs and contributing millions of dollars of revenue. In short, they tell a compelling story about the state’s diverse economic landscape.

Anyone may nominate a company. Nominations typically come from service providers (accountants, bankers, attorneys, public relations professionals and others); economic development offices; trade, business and community associations; the media; and universities. Past Companies to Watch award recipients are encouraged to nominate their peers. You can even nominate yourself if you meet the criteria for receiving the award.

Nominations for the 2025 event have closed.

MCSB is supported by about fifty judges from across the state who have established experience in small business growth, economic development, community leadership, and banking. Judges are typically selected from the non-profit or public sector. Collectively, more than one-thousand hours are dedicated to evaluating and rating award applications based on how the companies best demonstrate award criteria.

All applicants will be notified by e-mail in January regarding the status of their application. The final selection of Michigan 50 Company to Watch awardees will not occur until late February. Please contact us with questions related to the status of your nomination or application.

The SBAM Foundation