Mar 27, 2001

SBA SELECTS WISCONSIN'S SMALL BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR

Craig C. Culver, President and Co-Founder of Culver Franchising System, Inc. in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin has been named Wisconsin's Small Business Person of the Year for 2001 by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Culver was among 53 top small business persons - one from each state, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, and Guam - who will be honored by the SBA at national ceremonies in Washington, D.C. May 6 - 12. As the winner of the Wisconsin Small Business Person of the Year Award, Culver could be named National Small Business Person of the Year during the national event.

The Wisconsin SBA celebration of our Small Business Winners will be held Friday, June 1, 2001 at the SBA's 16th Annual Small Business Awards Presentation Breakfast at the Italian Community Center, 631 East Chicago Street, Milwaukee beginning at 7:00 a.m. Craig Culver will be honored, along with twelve other small business and advocate winners, for their contributions to WisconsinÕs economy and small business communities. This year's celebration theme, "A History of Success, A Millennium of Opportunity," captures the entrepreneurial spirit of these exceptional small business owners.

Culver Franchising System, Inc. (CFSI) was established in 1987 by Craig Culver and is the franchiser of Culver's Frozen Custard Restaurants. Ultimately, CFSI was born in response to adversity. Craig's family had owned and operated an A&W Restaurant in Sauk City for several years. In 1982, the family sold this restaurant on a land contract. Two years later, the A&W closed. The Culver's concept was born on July 18, 1984 when Craig, his wife Lea and parents George and Ruth reopened the A&W as Culver's Frozen Custard of Sauk City, Wisconsin. A little over three years later, the first Culver's restaurant was franchised and with that, Culver Franchising System, Inc. was born. The rest is history. Today, Culver's stores number 114 and can be found in eleven states with another 30 to 40 franchisee stores slated to open in 2001.

As Wisconsin's Small Business Person of the Year, Craig was judged on his staying power, growth in number of employees, increase in sales and/or unit volume, current and past financial reports, innovativeness of product or service, response to adversity and contributions to aid community-oriented projects.