Angelene Ripley Wright, owner of the Ida Red General Stores in Tulsa, received the award this week for the Oklahoma Small Business Person of the Year in person at a ceremony hosted by the Small Business Administration Administrator Isabel Guzman. Ida Red General Store is a retail shop offering unique gifts, nostalgic treats, and Oklahoma goods.
“Angelene Ripley Wright exemplifies the grit demonstrated by retail stores in Oklahoma who persevered through the pandemic and have emerged triumphantly,” Fernanda Pedraza-Schmitt, Oklahoma District Director, said. “SBA is proud to have played a small role in this success through our COVID-19 programs.”
“Each year, National Small Business Week provides an opportunity to highlight the dedication and creativity of small business owners and entrepreneurs, said Regional Administrator Mindy Brissey. “Small businesses play a vital role in creating thriving communities and boosting economic growth, and I am honored to recognize their entrepreneurial success.”
Angelene Ripley Wright helped create the concept for Ida Red’s first store in 2008 before buying the business in 2016. Ida Red’s now has three locations and 16 employees in the Tulsa area.
Wright purchased the business with an SBA loan and was helped through the COVID-19 pandemic with two PPP loans and a COVID-19 EIDL loan. She has doubled the employee count since buying the business.
Prior to being the recipient of the SBA’s Small Business Person of the Year for Oklahoma, Angelene was awarded the Tulsa Chamber’s Small Business Person of the Year in October 2023.
Ida Red supports numerous local charities including 100 percent of proceeds on special merchandise for the Tulsa Area COVID-19 Response Fund and the Red Dirt Relief fund. The store donated a portion of their store sales during the Juneteenth weekend to the Tulsa Race Massacre Foundation and the Juneteenth Foundation.
National Small Business Week and for other event information, visit www.sba.gov/NSBW.
The NSBW Award Ceremony took place on Sunday April 28, 2024 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington, D.C., where Administrator Guzman recognized the national award winners and individual state winners, and also announced the top honor of National Small Business Person of the Year from among the individual state winners. The week-long National Small Business Week celebration featured a virtual summit co-hosted by SCORE, mentors to America’s small businesses
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