CEO Eric Williams just received the 2024 Georgia Small Business of the Year Award from the U.S. Small Business Association.
BYRON, Ga. — A metal manufacturing business owner here in Central Georgia has been named the recipient of a special award.
Unified Defense is a metal manufacturing company located here in Central Georgia.
CEO Eric Williams just received the 2024 Georgia Small Business of the Year Award from the U.S. Small Business Association.
Unified Defense is located on Highway 224 in Byron and is staffed by certified welders.
Williams started Integrated Defense in 2016, initially working on government contracts and manufacturing steel equipment.
Five years ago, he acquired Prince Service and Manufacturing and now has a rapidly growing workforce.
“I’m really looking forward to achieving our goal of being a great employer in Central Georgia,” Williams said. “We have come a long way since our beginnings. Growing from 5 to 220 employees is immeasurable in the short time we have been in business, but this It's a huge testament to how hard people work in close-knit communities.''Communities and people are resilient. ”
Williams said he was nominated for the 2024 National Small Business Week Award by the Small Business Development Center in Macon.
When he received the winning email, he thought it was spam. He quickly realized that this was not only a win for him as a business owner, but also for the city.
“We are focused on buying local, hiring local, keeping all our businesses local and supporting our local communities,” Williams said. “It’s so important that owners like me in this area support each other and the community through our colleagues who make this business what it is.”
Miguel Garcia is a government contracts manager at Integrated Defense.
Garcia said Williams is an Ohio native, but since entering the business, he's become the proudest Georgian he's ever met.
“He's totally marketed in our community, and to be with him going to shows all over the county and wherever we're trying to sell our products and meet our customers, it's kind of a blessing in disguise. It’s wild, and he’s defending Middle Georgia there.”
Anna Martin has been an Office administrator for several years.
“When he sets his mind to something, there's nothing he can't accomplish. To see him recognized by others is because we all feel that way about him, but this If you're going to be seen on a larger scale, I believe one day he'll be one of the largest employers in Middle Georgia. ”
Williams, along with 50 other companies from across the United States, including Guam and Puerto Rico, will be honored and recognized from April 28 to April 29 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington, D.C.
