The nation's top entrepreneurs will be honored at the U.S. Small Business Administration's National Small Business Week events May 20-22 in Washington, D.C.  A series of award ceremonies, small business events and educational forums will mark the 59^th anniversary of the agency and the 49^th annual proclamation of National Small Business Week.

National Small Business Week is cosponsored by the SCORE Association as well as numerous corporate and trade sponsors to be announced.

More than 100 outstanding small business owners from across the country will receive awards while gathering

WSFS Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: WSFS), the parent company of WSFS Bank, today announced that Thomas E. Stevenson, President of Cash Connect®, the ATM division of the Bank, has been presented The Robert A. Kasey, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award by Connecting Generations - a non-profit organization that helps Delawareans lead purposeful, fulfilling and self-directed lives through mentorship programs. Mr. Stevenson was recognized with this honor at Connecting Generations' Third Annual "Mentoring Works" Summit on January 31, 2012.
Presented annually, The Robert A. Kasey, Jr.

Joanna Robertson, RN, a nurse on the third floor medical-surgical unit at Beebe Medical Center, has been honored with the "You make a Difference" Award for January.

Joanna has been recognized for her tireless work toward improving patient care by leading an effort to institute the evidence-based practice Bedside Reporting. The practice is a patient-centered initiative that allows the patient to participate in the nurses' routine shift-change reporting process. Research is showing that the practice improves communication between nurses and caregivers, as well as between the patients and their nurses and physicians.

The agents and staff of Prudential Gallo, REALTORS® gathered for their annual breakfast meeting on Jan. 25 at the Virden Center of the University of Delaware, Lewes. With the opening of its Bethany Beach office, the company now numbers nearly 100 associates.

Andrew Ratner, vice-president of the company and the broker of the Rehoboth Beach office, led the meeting, noting that 2011 was a highly successful year for the company that was founded in 1979.

"We continue to be a strong, profitable company, even during difficult economic times.

Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC) is among the nation's best hospitals for 2011-2012, and has been named a Best Regional Hospital on the Eastern Shore of Maryland according to U.S. News & World Report, the publisher of Best Hospitals.   U.S. News editors recognized 247 hospitals outside major metropolitan areas, including PRMC.  The list of those hospitals is available online at www.usnews.com/bestregionalhospitals. 

Peninsula Regional was named a High Performer in Cardiology and Heart Surgery, Gastroenterology, Geriatrics, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics and Pulmonology. 

Small Businesses Play a Vital Role in Delaware's Economy

Today the Office of Advocacy released the annual Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories. This is the 16th year Advocacy has published a state-by-state profile of American small business for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. The profiles are an invaluable resource for small businesses, legislators, academics, government officials, and policymakers in each state. The Delaware profile uses the most recent data available to provide details about the state's small business employment; business

WSFS Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: WSFS), the parent company of WSFS Bank, reported net income of $22.7 million, or $2.28 per diluted common share for the full year of 2011, a 56% improvement compared to net income of $14.1 million, or $1.46 per diluted common share for 2010.
For the fourth quarter of 2011, WSFS reported net income of $6.2 million, or $0.63 per diluted common share, compared to net income of $2.1 million, or $0.16 per diluted common share for the fourth quarter of 2010 and net income of $6.8 million, or $0.70 per diluted common share for the third quarter of 2011.

The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group of Prudential Gallo, REALTORS® welcomes its newest member, Chris Holt. While Holt will serve as a full-service agent, working with both buyers and sellers, his primary focus will be to augment the award-winning service provided to sellers working with The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group.

Holt became a full-time resident of Lewes in 2011 after living both here and in Washington, D.C., since 2002. Prior to joining Prudential Gallo, Holt was a founding partner and principal of a consulting firm focusing on corporate and consumer communications and public affairs, with offices in Phoenix, Ariz., and Washington, D.C.

Beebe Medical Center announced today that HealthGrades, the nation's most trusted source of health care provider information, has named it a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence^TM. This prestigious distinction places Beebe Medical Center among the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for clinical performance for the 3^rd consecutive year.

HealthGrades Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence study, released today, objectively identifies those hospitals with the best overall clinical performance across 26 medical diagnoses and procedures that the organization rates.

- A study was conducted by D.K.Shifflet & Associates Ltd. and Vantage Strategy, a research firm and consulting firm respectively, to determine the economic impact of tourism in the State of Delaware.  The study shows that the tourism industry is a principal economic driver in Delaware and substantiates the value of the tourism industry to the First State.  Key points stemming from the 2010 study are reflected in the quotes below and subsequent facts.

 "The tourism industry stands strong as the third largest private employer in Delaware and an important part of our local economy,"