As the Business Incubator Center, 2591 Legacy Way in Grand Junction, marks 40 years of supporting entrepreneurs across Mesa County and the Western Slope, it collected an international award April 14 at the 40th International Conference on Business Innovation in Chicago.

The Business Incubator Center was named Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year by the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA) in the Mixed Use category, one of four categories identified for Entrepreneur Support Organization awards.

Charles Ross, president and CEO of InBIA, presented the award and said, “The Business Incubator Center stands as a powerful example of what long-term commitment to entrepreneurship can achieve. For 40 years, they have helped build businesses, strengthen communities, diversify and expand economic opportunity in Western Colorado. Their recognition this year reflects not only their impact locally, but their role as a leader within the global innovation ecosystem.”

Business Incubator Center CEO Dalida Sassoon Bollig accepted the award along with BIC Director of Grants and Incentives Kristin Rau.

“Receiving this award is humbling, but more than anything it feels like a confirmation,” Sassoon Bollig wrote in an email to The Business Times. “For four decades, BIC has been doing the quiet, relational work of building businesses and livelihoods in a region that national economic narratives tend to skip over. To have that work recognized by a global body representing 1,200 incubators across 33 countries tells me that rural economies don’t have to accept a lower standard for what support looks like.

“This award belongs to every entrepreneur who trusted us with their dream, every staff member who showed up for this community, and every partner who believed that Western Colorado was worth investing in. We didn’t win this because we imitated what works in Austin or Boston. We won it because we built something honest and specific to this place we call home.

“What it means going forward is that we carry a responsibility. World-class recognition raises the bar for us, and we welcome that. The Western Slope deserves nothing less.”

In a news release, Sassoon Bollig added, “Our community, our team, our visionary entrepreneurs, we came together to build a legacy in this local incubator, so that business can launch, grow, scale and thrive in our community, and economic diversification and vibrancy remain certain. This is not one man’s job, and we’re so proud of the bustling hub we’ve created that allows measurable success to happen. Thank you for seeing and honoring the economic impact we’ve had in western Colorado through this award.”

The Business Incubator Center was founded in 1986 in response to the economic collapse following “Black Sunday.” It was created to help diversify the regional economy and support long-term business growth.

In the news release, the Business Incubator Center shared numbers demonstrating its impact, such as: one in three Mesa County businesses have been supported by BIC programs; and 14,500-plus jobs have been created through BIC, along with $207.6 million-plus in capital formation and $679 million in increased regional sales.

Looking ahead, the Business Incubator Center will host a 40th Anniversary Kick-off and Celebration on June 4, 4 p.m., at Ramblebine Brewing Company, 457 Colorado Ave. The event will bring together founders, alumni, entrepreneurs and community leaders and will feature the unveiling of a commemorative one-of-a-kind BIC beer, BIC BIC Hooray!, brewed by Ramblebine.

BIC alumni and founders will receive special recognition at the event, including Barbara Creasman, who founded the BIC and Revolving Loan Fund 40 years ago.

For more information and to RSVP, go online to: gjincubator.org/events/40th-kick-off.