Aurora-South Metro Small Business Development Center wins national award

If you wanted to get high quality western wear in the Denver metro area, you probably wouldn't think of Aurora. Suzanne Dayton disagrees with that assessment.

"It's a little bit mix of that city and the country put together. And that's why I think this is such a fun place to do that," said Dayton.

She is the owner of Urban Cowgirl in the Stanley Marketplace. They sell country chic clothing, but her specialty is hat shaping.

"We can shape and create a hat and anything you want. Brand it, decorate it. This is my own that I did. And we really love to do that to bring people together," said Dayton.

But Suzanne isn't from a hat shaping family, she picked up the skill by watching videos on the internet and learning some of the greatest hat shaping gurus. Eventually she decided she wanted to hat shape for a living and open her own shop. She says it was a big step.

"That was scary for sure. You know, brick and mortar is a whole new thing," said Dayton.

Luckily, she had some help. Not only from her friends and family, but also from the Aurora- South Metro Small Business Development Center.

"I definitely use them as a support network," said Dayton.

She's lucky she is in Aurora because the Aurora South metro SBDC here is one of the best in the nation. The Aurora-South Metro Small Business Development Center won the Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Thursday the U.S. SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman visited four businesses in the Stanley Marketplace to see why the Aurora- South Metro SBDC won that award. Casillas Guzman visited with Suzanne Dayton and Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman.

Suzanne says it just goes to show the power of community. Not only in Aurora but also her friends, mentors, and family.

"It's amazing how supportive people are here in the Aurora area. I'm constantly blown away by just word of mouth, of people just genuinely sharing out of their heart," said Dayton.

"Like, without that community, I can say for sure that I would not be as successful as I am right now," said Dayton.

The Aurora South Metro SBDC is one of four organizations nationwide to win an award from the U.S. SBA this year.