Community members are now invited to submit nominations for the 28th annual Small Business of the Year awards banquet hosted by the Lone Star College System in November.

The advisory council at the LSCS Small Business Development Center recognizes different small business owners each year based on several skills such as leadership, success, growth, entrepreneurial efforts and interaction with the community. The deadline to submit nominations is Aug. 1 for small businesses located in each of the six college service areas including Cy-Fair, Kingwood, Montgomery, North Harris, Tomball and University Park.

"One of the reasons Houston's economy remains strong is the success of the area's small business owners," said Sal Mira, executive director of the LSCS-SBDC. "The SBDC is pleased to be able to recognize those businesses that help keep our economy so robust."

Three small business finalists will be selected and honored from each of the college areas. The 18 finalists will be narrowed down to a pool of six—one winner from each college area—and will be crowned at the Nov. 20 awards banquet at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, 1601 Lake Robbins Drive.

"For the businesses in the Northwest [Houston] area, it's a fairly prestigious award to be recognized at that level," said Jed Young, executive director of communications for LSCS.

To qualify for a nomination, a company must have fewer than 500 employees, completed three consecutive years of business without bankruptcy and cannot be a division of a larger corporation.

In 2013, Consolidated Mills in Cy-Fair and Country Air in Magnolia were two of six companies that took home a business of the year award.

The awards banquet is sponsored by BBVA Compass Bank. For nomination forms and more information about the awards banquet, visit www.lonestar.sbdcnetwork.net/lonestar/Small_Business_of_the_Year.asp.