Springfield, MO – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced the winners of its annual Small Business Awards.  The awards are given each year in recognition of the many achievements and successes in our small business community.   

Rick and Cheryl Barsness, owners of America’s Incredible Pizza Company (AIPC) in Springfield is the 2010 Regional Entrepreneurial Success Award winner.  This award is given for a company that started out small, received SBA assistance along the way, and has now grown beyond the SBA’s size standards for small.   

Rick’s boyhood dream of creating a themed restaurant/family entertainment center where families could come and spend time together, eat, talk, play games and have fun came to fruition in 2002 with the opening of AIPC.   Success was instantaneous. AIPC has 18 locations in the central/southwest part of the U.S. and Mexico with 73 franchise locations.  

AIPC has won numerous awards, including one of the top five ‘Top Family Entertainment Centers of the World’ for 2008 from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions and 2008 ‘Best Place for a Kid’s Birthday Party’ from Riverfront Times.  AIPC has been acknowledged twice in Inc. magazine in 2008 as 456th fastest growing company in the United States and 12th in top 100 Food & Beverage Companies, with a 693% growth.

The Barsnesses were selected from nominees throughout Region VII, which include the states of Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri.  Their nomination package was submitted by Mitchell Nitsch, Community President of The Bank of Missouri in Springfield. 

The Barsnesses will be presented their award locally during the Springfield area Small Business Week, May 3rd through May 8th, 2010.