MILWAUKEE. — Mark and Shawn Bula, who used SBA financing to buy out investors in their 40-year-old family farm Signature Farms in Adams County, Wis., were named the runners-up for the National Small Business Person of the Year during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., last week during National Small Business Week.
The Bulas were contenders for the national title after being named as the SBA Wisconsin 2025 Small Businesspersons of the Year by SBA’s Wisconsin office in March. After 40 years of partnership and expansion of their chip potato farming operation with another family, the Bulas purchased the other share with the help of an SBA-backed 504 loan and their community banker in 2021. Their farming expertise has since helped them grow their harvest, acreage, workforce, and profits while contributing to their industry and their rural community. Mark’s daughter is now working on the farm, making Signature Farms a continuing enterprise into the third generation.
“This is the first time in Wisconsin’s history that a farm has won the SBA state award, and given Wisconsin’s deep agricultural heritage, it’s especially gratifying to see them win this well-deserved national recognition,” says Eric Ness, SBA’s Wisconsin District Director. “The Bulas work with SBA and with their lender to develop the financing package that was a win-win has helped them continue to grow, contribute to their local economy and community, and build generational wealth.”
