File photo / R. Michael Semple Dawn Ochman, president / CEO of Dawn Incorporated, a construction company in Warren, was named Small Business Person of the Year for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Cleveland District.

WARREN — It’s been a whirlwind 12 months for Dawn Ochman and for the construction company she founded, Warren-based Dawn Incorporated.

About this time last year, Ochman was named the 2022 recipient of the local ATHENA Award, given by the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber to celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding women in business.

This year, the company she began with just one dump truck and grew into a multi-state construction company that averages well above $10 million in revenue annually is marking its milestone 30th anniversary.

And now on top of that, Ochman is the recipient of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Person of the Year Award in the Cleveland District.

The award coincides with National Small Business Week that begins Sunday. Through the week, the SBA recognizes the hard work, dedication and ingenuity of America’s small businesses and celebrates their contributions to the economy.

Ochman, a runner-up before, will be presented the award Tuesday by SBA District Director John Turner.

“Overwhelmed” and “humbling” is how Ochman described the recognitions given “there are just so many amazing companies and women out there.”

Credit, however, is due to her staff, she said.

“I’m getting the award, but it’s the company, which is my people. I have such an amazing team … when I say we get along like family, everybody uses the word team, but I think family is probably a better word to use because we generally care about each other,” Ochman said.

The staff, she said, works well with one another in a true sense of collaboration.

“It’s like, if we’re in a tough spot here, what can we all do to make this better, because, of course, in any business, but especially in construction, things come up, schedules get pushed, changes are made, especially with supply chain and labor force shortages,” Ochman said.

“Camaraderie is probably word of what we have here. I think it is just what sets us apart and what makes us work so well together,” she said.

THE COMPANY

Ochman founded the company in 1993 when she was 25 and had one dump truck and a driver hauling aggregate material — dirt, rock, asphalt — to construction sites in the region. She grew it to more than 30 trucks, but when the economic crisis hit in 2008 she pivoted to construction.

Now it its 30th year, Dawn Incorporated is a full-service construction firm that works on commercial, industrial and government projects across six states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Kentucky and Indiana.

Some of the projects the company has been involved with were the expansion and renovation of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County in a construction management role; multiple projects at the Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, including interior and exterior renovations, cottage renovations and pool deck expansion; and upgrades to U.S. courthouses in Youngstown, Akron and Cleveland.

In 2009, the SBA accepted Dawn Incorporated into a program that helps companies owned or controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals compete in the American economy.

Last year, the company completed a $12 million renovation of an aircraft maintenance hangar at the 179th Airlift Wing in Mansfield. Also in 2022, Dawn Incorporated brought on the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Secret Services and Lordstown School District as clients.

The year prior included a five-year, $250 million services contract for the U.S. Department of Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

THE AWARD

Nominees for Small Business Person of the Year are from each of the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. In Ohio, which has two districts, Ochman was one of two women finalists.

Judges examined several criteria: staying power, growth in number of employees, increase in sales, net profit and net worth over a three-year period from 2019, contributions to the community and response to adversity.

Ashley Swipas, administrative director for Dawn Incorporated, nominated Ochman. Swipas also nominated Ochman for the ATHENA Award.

“For ATHENA, we were new to the chamber and just heard about the award and I just really thought Dawn would be a candidate for that. Winning that was a big deal for her and for the company,” Swipas said. “For SBA Person of the YEAR, it was just kind of keeping up that momentum. I think the ATHENA Award gave her more of an edge for Small Business Person of the Year.”

Swipas has been with the company for 12 years.

“Since I started, it has changed a lot. There were just a couple of us working … now, we have like 35 employees and are quickly growing out of our current office space. We have the most people we have ever had and are taking on some of the largest projects we ever have. It’s constantly full-steam ahead. We don’t sit around or stay complacent. We’re always moving.”