Bank of Guam Celebrates 2024 SBA Awardees

August 5, 2024

Delaney Sexton
Contributing Editor

Bank of Guam Celebrates 2024 SBA Awardees

Bank of Guam celebrates the Guam winners of the 2024 U.S. Small Business Administration Awards, including M80 Systems Inc. president Jessica Leon Guerrero, the recipient of the 2024 Guam Small Business Person of the Year. The 2024 Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year for Guam went to Sara Pleadwell Doctor and Monique Genereux Amani, owners of MoSa’s Joint. Bank of Guam says it submitted nominations for Leon Guerrero and Doctor and Amani for the U.S. SBA Awards in December 2023.

To celebrate their recognition and remarkable achievement, Bank of Guam hosted a celebration mixer on July 17 at the M80 offices. During the celebration, SBA Guam Branch Manager Kenneth Lujan and SBA Regional Administrator Elmy Bermejo presented the awards to this year’s honorees.

Bermejo oversees SBA programs, offices, and operations in the SBA’s Pacific region, serving Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, and Nevada. This marks the first time a regional administrator has presented awards to Guam winners.

Leon Guerrero exemplifies entrepreneurship and community dedication through her role as a business leader, wife and mother of five, Bank of Guam says.

“Leading her woman-owned, HUB Zone Certified Small Business with M80, Leon Guerrero passionately transforms visions into reality, as a leading solutions provider in the region,” says Bank of Guam.

Beyond business, Leon Guerrero is deeply involved in community service, holding positions as treasurer of the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce, advisory board member of the American Cancer Society Guam Chapter, and chairwoman of the Guam Children’s Museum board. Leon Guerrero was also recognized with the Reina A. Leddy Guam Young Professional of the Year in 2019 and was nominated for Guam’s Businesswoman of the Year. She is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Entrepreneurship Program.

Doctor and Amani, the dynamic duo behind MoSa’s Joint, are a whirlwind of local passion and culinary experience. Doctor, with a seasoned background in her father’s restaurant, Jeff Pirate’s Cove, and an ex-scuba diver, found her true calling in a kitchen of her own. Amani, with eight years in the Coast Guard and a culinary arts degree from Guam Community College, teamed up with Doctor to embark on the journey of entrepreneurship.

“MoSa’s Joint is more than a restaurant but a celebration of their shared history, love for the ocean, and island culture,” says Bank of Guam.

Beyond the business, MoSa’s Joint actively contributes to their community and charitable causes, including sponsoring a women’s amateur soccer league and men’s futsal league teams, local jiu jitsu tournaments, and organizing fundraising activities for local nonprofits such as Harvest House.

Source:
Pacific Daily News Article