SBA NJ 2022 Small Business Person of the Year Announced

On May 2, 2022

As National Small Business Week kicks off, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced the 2022 New Jersey Small Business Person of the Year.

Beverly Zaccherio, president and founder of Senior Solutions for the Jersey Shore based in Point Pleasant, established the business after being laid off from her former job at a leading crystal manufacturer in 2008. As she found herself unemployed and in need of another full-time position, with a three-year old son at home, Zaccherio pivoted. She reinvented herself professionally by creating a small business in the health care industry.

The Rampao College graduate, with years of experience in sales, customer service and marketing, commented, “I became a certified home health aide because it offered the flexible hours; I needed to raise my infant son,” explained the 36-year Point Pleasant resident. “I enjoyed interacting with people and ended up working at a number of state and other at-home agencies as well as nursing homes and assisted living facilities.”

Though originally intended as a temporary career move, Zaccherio soon found herself drawn to the field and what she saw as an unmet industry need. “So many families I worked with told me that if they’d known other options were available, they would have pursued them rather than, for example, selling their mom or dad’s home so quickly and moving them to an assisted living facility or nursing home,” she said. “People are often just lost and struggling when it comes to making life decisions for their elderly loved ones.”

Zaccherio believed that more needed to be done for families. “I felt that there should be a company that could help bring it all together for families and coordinate care for seniors at an affordable price,” she said, officially launching her Point Pleasant-based response, Senior Solutions for the South Shore LLC in 2013 where she consults with and educates families who are often emotionally overwhelmed by their elderly loved one’s situation.

Along with her personal consulting work, Senior Solutions also employs eight trained specialists who provide such in-home health aide services as light housekeeping, cooking, errand-running and home organizing.

“Many seniors want to stay in their homes and we strive to enable that,” she said, “looking out for red flags on their behalf, reminding them to take their medication, providing companionship and more.

“Our mission is to empower families and individuals with educational resources so that they understand their full range of choices,” she said. “Through this process, we’ve met so many amazing people and have become part of so many wonderful families. If we can help families avoid pitfalls and enhance quality of life for seniors, then we’ll have made an indelible difference in our Shore community.”

When COVID began to appear in the Garden State at the onset of the pandemic and businesses shut down, Zaccherio applied for and received a COVID EIDL Advance. Thanks to that payment of funds, she was able to continue offering her business’ services while keeping her 11 employees on payroll, preserving their jobs and salaries.

SBA New Jersey District Director John M. Blackstock hailed Zaccherio’s perseverance as an entrepreneur. “Small business owners like Beverly are tough as nails. They stand up and continue time and time again. Beverly’s drive, determination and ability to take calculated risks while also tapping into a pool of available resources make a positive difference in our hometowns across New Jersey. Thanks to small business owners like Beverly, America’s economy continues to build back better from COVID and move forward. Congratulations, Beverly, on such demonstrable achievements, especially in the face of adversity.”

The Small Business Person of the Year Award is part of National Small Business Week, held this year from May 1 through 7. This year’s NSBW theme, “Building a Better America Through Entrepreneurship,” highlights the resilience, ingenuity and creativity of these award winners who, like millions of small businesses across America, have navigated challenges from the pandemic and contributed to our nation’s economic comeback.

The NSBW Virtual Summit will be held May 2-5 (register here), and will include honoring small businesses around the country, educational sessions, online business resources, and exciting speakers. Highlights of the summit will include virtual booths to develop one-on-one connections with public and private sector partners, and the summit will conclude with the awards ceremony honoring more than 60 small business owners, including Zaccherio as New Jersey State Small Business Person of the Year.

To access more business news, visit NJB News Now.

Related Articles: