Small-biz winners: this year's Indiana honorees from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

• Author: Kapp, Jennifer
• Position: FirstCare Rehab honored as small business

MARIANN AND NOEL FRIGO

FirstCare Rehab Inc., Portage

The owners of a Portage business providing health-care services to northwest Indiana will be honored next month for running one of the nation's 53 outstanding small businesses for 2003, based on extensive screening by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Mariann and Noel Frigo--who together operate FirstCare Rehab Inc.--will be recognized in June during the nation's 40th annual Small Business Week as the Indiana Small Business Persons of the Year.

Since its launch more than 10 years ago, FirstCare Rehab has grown from providing Mariann and eight of her friends with part-time work to employing 100 occupational, physical, speech and massage therapists. FirstCare Rehab provides services to organizations such as Porter Memorial Health System and at freestanding sites in Portage, Merrillville and Westville. Mariann serves as CEO, while Noel serves as COO,

"What makes our company so strong is its staff, but when my husband and I go to accept the award, we can't bring 100 people with us," Mariann says. "You always hear that it takes a good business person to steer the bus, but we run our company very democratically." Decisions about new services to offer and emerging technologies to adopt follow the interests of staff. "We listen to what they have seen work."

In receiving the award, these business owners will be saluted for FirstCare's achievements and contributions to the regional economy and for exemplifying the entrepreneurial spirit at its best. "The vast majority of entrepreneurs, especially in the health-care industry, remain self-employed. They are self-employed service providers, and what they're doing never grows into a business model. What the Frigos are doing with FirstCare is something very different and unique," says Keith Kirkpatrick, executive director for the Institute for Innovative Leadership at Indiana University Northwest.

DALE CLAPP

Mercantile National Bank, Valparaiso

The Indiana Financial Services Advocate of the Year is Dale Clapp, vice president and division manager for the Commercial Banking Group at Mercantile National Bank in Valparaiso. He will receive the recognition for investing time and energy outside of regular business duties to assist small business, but he's ready to share the credit.

"You have to be in an institution that promotes small-business lending and encourages it," Clapp says. Otherwise, lenders tend to overlook the many products and programs...