Snagajob.com founder Shawn Boyer was named the National Small Business Person of the Year on Tuesday by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Boyer, 35, started the Henrico County-based company when a friend asked him to help him find an internship. While researching online, Boyer discovered there weren’t many online employment sites for hourly jobs or internships.

He researched his business venture and left a D.C. law firm eight years ago to start his company. Now Snagajob.com connects job seekers with internships and part-time and hourly work. The company employs 85 people and has annual sales of about $11 million.

“Shawn Boyer is a perfect example of the creativity and inspiration it takes to become a highly successful entrepreneur in America today,” said SBA Administrator Steve Preston in a statement. “He identified an unmet need and filled it, and today, barely eight years later, his company, SnagAJob.com, has become a hugely successful site for posting and finding hourly and part-time jobs, connecting millions of registered job seekers with active job postings.

“In doing so, Shawn demonstrated the qualities that make small businesses such a powerful force in the American economy, and in their communities,” Preston said.

Boyer was selected from 53 regional winners, including representatives from Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam. The award was announced at an awards luncheon in Washington during National Small Business Week.

Winning criteria include stability, employment and growth sales, financial condition, innovation and community service.