The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has named Jeff Slosman, the owner of National Wiper Alliance (NWA) the North Carolina Small Business Person of the Year for 2015. NWA is headquartered in Swannanoa, just outside of Asheville, NC.

NWA is a manufacturer of industrial wipes and cloths, recycling nonwoven materials and converting them into dry wiping products. From washcloths to heavy duty cleaning cloths, NWA supplies reusable and disposable wipes to various industries in the manufacturing, food service, healthcare, government and other sectors.

“I am very pleased to accept this recognition,” says Slosman. “Not for me as an individual, but on behalf of our dedicated employees, our loyal customers, our faithful suppliers and my very supportive family.”

Slosman was selected as the Small Business Person of the Year due to his company’s demonstrated staying power, growth and innovation. NWA has an impressive history as an established business. For nearly 20 years, Slosman has grown the business by diversifying into new products and services as he has recognized gaps and needs in the industry.

The company started in 1996 with two employees—Slosman and his 85-year-old grandfather—and initially operated out of 2000 square feet of borrowed space.  Eventually, Slosman came to recognize that many customers had specialized needs that weren’t being met, and, determined to fill that void and yearning to create unique partnerships with vendors and customers, he began providing specialized services including labeling and packaging.  NWA also began to offer custom converting providing customers with the resources to recycle and create their own types of products.  The firm also started to offer its customers development services to assist them in launching new products into market.

After outgrowing its original site, NWA moved into a 500,000-square-foot former blanket manufacturing facility in 2012.  The company now employs 120 and sells its products across the U.S. and to about 200 countries worldwide.  At this time, NWA has a new product in development—a wipe that is 2000 times stronger than the leading paper towel and has many other benefits as well.

The SBA selected Small Business Person of the Year winners from each of the the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. The National Small Business Person of the Year will be chosen from this pool during National Small Business Week, May 4-8.

The North Carolina award will be presented locally at the 2015 Small Business Week Luncheon hosted by The Support Center on May 7, 2015 at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley.