06/09/2026
NEWS RELEASE
Eastern Pennsylvania District
Release Date: June 9, 2026 Contact: [email protected] | 610-382-3085
Release Number: 20260609-01 Follow SBA on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & Blogs
SBA Visits Eastern Pennsylvania’s 2026 Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year
Darmayne Robertson and Willard Robertson, co-owners, Sweet Confections Cakes, presented with award June 10
Harrisburg, Pa. — The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Eastern Pennsylvania District Office recognizes Sweet Confections Cakes, located in Harrisburg, and Darmayne and Willard Robinson, co-owners, as the 2026 Eastern Pennsylvania Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year. Media are invited to attend.
WHO: Steve Dixel, District Director, SBA Eastern Pennsylvania District Office
Michael Kane, Deputy District Director, SBA Eastern Pennsylvania District Office
Darmayne Robinson, President/Co-owner, Sweet Confections Cakes
Willard A. Robinson, Jr., Vice President/Co-owner, Sweet Confections Cakes
Martin Brill, Coordinator, Ag Center of Excellence, Penn State Small Business Development Center
Rachael Wolfe, Consulting Manager, Kutztown University Small Business Development Center
Mark Rentschler, Finance Specialist, Kutztown University Small Business Development Center
WHAT: Sweet Confections Cakes is the 2026 SBA Eastern Pennsylvania Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year; media are invited to meet the business owners and will have opportunities for interviews and photos.
WHEN: June 10 at 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: Sweet Confections Cakes, 4702 Fritchey Street, Harrisburg
Sweet Confections Cakes (SCC), owned by Darmayne and Willard (Will) A. Robinson, Jr., operates from a single facility of approximately 3,700 sq. ft which includes a commercial bakery, retail shop, banquet hall, and a business office. The scratch bakery offers a variety of large cookies, bars, muffins and cakes, the latter being their signature product.
Darmayne and Will met when they were both serving in the U.S. Coast Guard. Darmayne is responsible for scheduling production, on-premises events, marketing, and the bakery’s creations. Will manages inventory, ordering, deliveries, and sanitation.
In 1993, Darmayne sold her first cake. She became a licensed cake producer in 1998, and a year later Will joined the business. They moved to a storefront location in 2005, and in 2018 moved to their current location on Fritchey Street, with the assistance of an SBA 7(a) loan through Centric Bank.
Darmayne and Will have received significant support from SBA’s Resource Partners. They worked with Lancaster SCORE to ensure the bakery would be sustainable, and with both Penn State and Kutztown University Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) to secure the SBA loan. SCC continues to work with Kutztown University SBDC on marketing strategies.
Today, SCC has a specialized staff of cake decorators and bakers. The bakery itself is now a destination with a separate party room that can accommodate 40 people. The Robertsons have also added a large tent to the back of the store for even larger parties.
“During National Small Business Week, we celebrate the entrepreneurs who are the backbone of our communities and the driving force behind our economy,” states SBA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Jim Spencer. “Across our region, small business owners continue to innovate, create jobs, and inspire the next generation. The U.S. Small Business Administration is proud to support their journey with the resources, capital, and counseling they need to succeed and grow.”
“It’s a privilege to recognize the achievements of exceptional veteran entrepreneurs such as Darmayne Robertson and Will Robertson, co-owners, Sweet Confections Cakes,” said Steve Dixel, SBA Eastern Pennsylvania District Director. “Their significant growth, resilience through adversity, and ongoing business expansion in the community make us proud to honor small veteran-owned business owners like them.”
“It’s an honor for Sweet Confections Cakes to be named SBA’s Eastern Pennsylvania Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year,” Darmayne Robertson, co-owner, Sweet Confections Cake, said. “Thank you to the SBA and to Penn State and Kutztown University SBDCs for helping us start and grow our business,” added Willard A. Robertson, Jr., co-owner, Sweet Confections Cakes.
“We admire the Robertsons baking talents, business focus, financial discipline, and unquestioned work ethic,” said Martin Brill, Coordinator, Ag Center of Excellence, Penn State Small Business Development Center.
“Long-term success in a bakery requires commitment and perseverance; all qualities that Darmayne and Will have consistently exhibited for the 8-plus years that we have worked with them,” said Rachael Wolfe, Consulting Manager, Kutztown University Small Business Development Center.
“For their service to the United States, their service to the community, and their successful business, we applaud the award of the Eastern Pennsylvania Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year to Sweet Confections Cakes,” added Mark Rentschler, Finance Specialist, Kutztown University Small Business Development Center.
SCC is a member of the Greater Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce, and the bakery regularly donates food to Abby’s Angels (a su***de prevention non-profit), and the Bethesda Mission (rescue mission serving the homeless).
The Penn State and Kutztown University SBDCs empower aspiring and existing small business owners with the knowledge, resources, consulting, and mentoring needed to start, grow, and prosper. Learn more about Penn State SBDC at https://sbdc.psu.edu/, Kutztown University SBDC at https://www.pasbdc.org/kutztown/, and SBA’s nationwide Small Business Development Centers at https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance/resource-partners/small-business-development-centers-sbdc.
SBA’s Eastern Pennsylvania Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year award winner is selected from nominees located across the 40 counties of eastern Pennsylvania. National Small Business Week recognizes the small business community’s contribution to the American economy. Learn more about National Small Business Week at www.sba.gov/NSBW.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Sonia Smith
Public Information Officer | Economic Development Specialist
Eastern Pennsylvania District Office
U.S. Small Business Administration
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