Blue Skies Named USDA’S Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year for 2003 Blue Skies Consulting, LLC, has been named the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) 2003 Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year. Tami Wiggins, CEO, and Michael Racine, President, traveled to Washington, D.C., to accept the award in a ceremony at the USDA on June 5, 2003. The company was nominated by the USDA’s Aerial Photography Field Office. Blue Skies specializes in aerial photography and remote sensing for mapping and surveying. Its expertise includes primary data acquisition, system integration, and remote sensing applications. Blue Skies has 15 years experience on projects throughout the United States and in Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. Its emphasis on quality assurance and client satisfaction has led to exceptional corporate growth: the company has seen a 500% increase in sales revenues since its inception. Blue Skies has performed numerous projects for USDA, including acquisition of vertical, high-resolution imagery for the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service National Resources Inventory Project, five national parks and monuments in Colorado and Utah, riparian studies in New Mexico, and a resource management evaluation in California and Nevada. Blue Skies is currently a five-person firm located at the Albuquerque International Sunport. The company will complete construction of a new office and hangar complex at Belen Alexander Airport by the end of the year. The 10,000 square foot facility will unify Blue Skies' office space, aircraft storage, and maintenance facility. June 11, 2003