The 2012 Small Business Influencer program is well underway, with nominations now being accepted through July 15th, 2012. The program seeks to recognize individuals, companies, media, apps, and others who have been influential to the small and medium-sized business community. It’s a great way to connect with others, help to recognize those who have made an impact, and raise your profile online and off.

I’ve tracked down Anita Campbell, co-founder of the program and CEO of Small Business Trends, to chat about this year’s awards and her work in the small business community.

[Biz Blog]: Hello again Anita, thanks for joining me today! What are you most excited about concerning this year’s Small Business Influencer program?

The most exciting thing is that you don’t have to be a celebrity to be recognized. These are awards “for the rest of us.” It’s about the contributions that people, companies and organizations make to small businesses each and every day.

You’ve heard of the book “It Takes a Village,” about how it takes the support of the community to raise a child. Something similar could be said for supporting small businesses. It takes the support of many – vendors, service providers, news outlets, analysts, journalists, consultants and more. The Small Business Influencer Awards recognize those behind the scenes who support small businesses. If small businesses are the unsung heroes of our economy today, then those who help small businesses to be successful are the double unsung heroes. We’re thrilled to bring them recognition.

[Biz Blog]: Can you quickly run through the important dates that we should all be aware of, and where someone could go for further information?

I want everyone to remember three key dates:

July 15, 2012 – Last day to submit a nomination. There is no fee to nominate, and we encourage people to nominate themselves, a colleague, or a client. Nominate here.

August 5, 2012 – Last day for the community to vote. We open up nominations to the community for daily voting. The community votes count for 40%, and afterwards our panel of Expert Judges will weigh in for 60%.

October 17, 2012 – Awards Gala in New York City. This year we’re partnering with the New York XPO Small Business Conference to hold the Awards Gala in the evening after its fall conference, at the Javits Convention Center in New York. It will be a dynamic and magical night – join us!

Be sure to read our FAQs for more information.

[Biz Blog]: Small Business Trends has been around since 2003; tell me about the publication and the impact that it’s had since it launched.

We deliver “small business success…daily.”

Small Business Trends is a news, tips and advice site reaching over 4,000,000 small business owners and entrepreneurs annually. We reach hundreds of thousands more through social media channels and our other sites including our social site BizSugar.com. Over 250 contributors share their expertise and insights.

We are obsessively focused on small businesses and entrepreneurial startups. We deliver what you need to know to run your business, navigate through current issues, stay up to date, and make your business the success you want it to be. We tell you about the latest resources, the latest economic statistics that matter to business owners, the latest marketing advice, and much more.

To sum it up, the site has one purpose: to help business owners, managers and entrepreneurs be successful. That’s why the Small Business Influencer Awards are a perfect complement – it’s all about enabling success.

[Biz Blog]: You’ve had an interesting shift in the past from executive positions in larger companies to extensive work with the small business community. What motivated the change, and what do you love about working where you are now?

I was a corporate lawyer – a General Counsel-turned technology company executive. But I wanted to try my hand at starting and running my own business.

I love being a business owner, and consider it a high calling. If you examine the food chain of people supported by any small business, it’s not uncommon for dozens of people to depend wholly or partially on even the smallest business. Consider the employees, their families, the owner’s family, service providers, independent contractors, vendor companies – it’s probably a larger number than most people realize. Remember, too, that many small businesses serve other small businesses. A single customer or client is not just a rounding error to a small service provider, for instance, but could be the difference between profitability and unprofitability that month. Knowing that a business matters to so many people brings a feeling of purpose. It fires me up.

[Biz Blog]: What does the future hold for Small Business Trends and your work with the community?

We plan to continue bringing solid advice from the trenches. The entire site is a production of small business people and entrepreneurs, for small business people and entrepreneurs. That authenticity is unparalleled and as long as I am at the helm, it will continue.

We also feel that initiatives like the Small Business Influencer Awards further the mission we are on. I firmly believe the Influencer initiative helps small business people by making them aware of the “best of the best.” If you look at the Small Business Influencer website, it is a terrific resource if you are looking for a vendor or consultant, for instance.

I’m thrilled to partner with Ramon Ray and his premier SmallBizTechnology.com site (another excellent and authentic small biz information site) to co-produce the Small Business Influencer Awards. We hope to make it bigger and better each year for many years to come!

[Biz Blog]: Thanks for joining me today Anita!

Don’t forget to head over to www.smbinfluencer.com to submit a nomination for the 2012 Small Business Influencer awards, to view media from last year’s event, and to learn more about the program.

Last year we sponsored the 2011 Small Business Influencer Awards, and this year we’re very excited that we are sponsoring the event again as it’s back for another round. It was a pleasure to work with both Anita Campbell and Ramon Ray, the co-founders of the program, and I’m looking forward to this year’s event. The Small Business Influencer Awards recognize leading influencers in the small business market for all of their contributions and support. Influencer categories include News Outlets, Corporations, Media, Leaders, Experts, and Apps. You can nominate an influencer (or yourself) over at www.smbinfluencer.com. (North America only, see the official rules).

I caught up with Ramon to chat about this year’s awards as well as his work as an editor and technology evangelist, not to mention being the founder of www.smallbiztechnology.com. Check out our chat below:

[Biz Blog]: Hi Ramon, it’s great to be working with you again. Can you share a little about the Small Business Influencer program and what it seeks to accomplish?

First of all a big, big thanks to Research In Motion® (RIM®) for supporting small businesses over the years – this Small Business Influencer Awards programs is one big way to continue to show this support. THANK YOU.

Also a really big shout out for Anita’s leadership in this initiative – she’s like small biz rock star number 1.

So about this neat initiative: There is a lot of focus on small businesses in North America, in politics, and in our society overall. Everyone knows a small business owner. There is also lots of focus on the organizations that help small businesses. However, what we don’t see much of are the hardworking and often unsung heroes who influence small business owners! These influencers cut across all industries, business types, business sizes, revenue and demographics.

Our goal with the Small Business Influencer awards is to identify and shine the light on influencers of small businesses – hence, the small business influencer awards!

[Biz Blog]: When can a person nominate, vote, and attend the awards gala?

The nomination process is open now – they can head over to www.smbinfluencer.com to nominate themselves or someone else. The nomination process closes on July 15th, 2012. Voting begins the next day – July 16th through August 5th. An eligible person can vote once per day per nominee. The top 100 small business influencers will be announced in mid-August, and then we’ll have a fabulous award ceremony in New York City on October 17th, 2012!

[Biz Blog]: What’s changed since last year? Any new additions to this year’s program that you’re excited about?

Much of it will be the same – nominating, voting and an awesome award ceremony. But a few things have changed. We’ll be hosting the awards at the NY Business Expo and Conference in NYC at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

We also have some great new judges this year – I don’t want to call them out name by name here or mention just one, but they’re rock stars in their own right and amongst their peers for sure.

[Biz Blog]: Tell me about your work in the small business community. What does “technology evangelist” mean to you?

Well, I LOVE helping small businesses succeed – first and foremost. From being a technology consultant many years ago, to my roles as a technology evangelist – that is, evangelizing about how awesome technology is for small businesses to help them grow, to help them save time, save money, boost productivity and deliver better customer service. I love what I do – helping small businesses succeed.

[Biz Blog]: I’m a big fan of www.smallbiztechnology.com. Tell me about this initiative and how it’s impacted the SMB community.

Well thank you I’m a big fan too [:)]. But really, Monday to Friday you can visit Smallbiztechnology.com and find the latest and greatest information about technology with insight, interviews, news or tech products for your small business. It’s been around for many years, and I’m happy to have several writers who also contribute to other great sites.

[Biz Blog]: I’m also clearly a proponent of mobility in business. I’m curious, what are some mobility trends that you’re currently seeing in small and medium-sized businesses?

I see faster wireless broadband being adopted and smaller computing devices, as overall practical, becoming even more powerful devices. Finally the world of apps and online applications is going to continue to explode on mobile devices. The business owner who can leverage local and social and mobile is going to have a BIG edge as well.

[Biz Blog]: Thank for joining me today Ramon, see you in New York at the gala!

Are you a member of the small and medium-sized business community? Who has influenced your business the most? Head over to www.smbinfluencer.com to nominate them for a 2012 Small Business Influencer Award!