Cathy Bishop (Photo provided by SBA)
Sergeant Bluff, Iowa — The owner of a catering business and event venue in northwest Iowa is being named the Iowa Small Business Person of the Year by the Iowa district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Cathy Bishop opened a restaurant called Aggies in the Sioux City suburb of Sergeant Bluff in 1994, but after several years, realized she had to make a change — for the better.
In 2009, Bishop pivoted into catering full-time, turned the restaurant into an event venue, and immediately began hosting graduations, birthdays, retirements, weddings, funerals, and more. Offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner catering weekdays and multiple events on weekends, Bishop has continued adding members to her staff over the past 15 years.
A 1983 graduate of Texas A & M (where the mascot is the Aggies), Cathy worked for several years as a bank examiner, but her heart’s desire was to become an entrepreneur, which led her to the hospitality industry. Being named Iowa’s Small Business Person of the Year is a wonderful honor, but she says her mottos and business practices are simple:
As the Iowa Small Business Person of the Year, Bishop will represent Iowa at National Small Business Week ceremonies in Washington D.C. in April, where she will compete for the National Small Business Person of the Year Award.
