| | Cassius Butts Regional Administrator U.S. Small Business Administration |
Happy New Fiscal Year! Fiscal Year 2014 started on October 1, 2013 for the SBA. We are very proud of our district, regional, and national accomplishments for Fiscal Year 2013. As you may read from many of the district posts below, the SBA staff has worked incredibly hard along with the small business lenders and the small business community to reach the goals we had set for FY 2013 and in many areas, we surpassed our goals. The bottom line is that this agency truly makes a difference not only for the small business community, but for the economy as a whole. The year was truly a success! I would like to share a press release that just came out today that highlights the SBA's lending accomplishments in FY 2013: SBA Lending Activity in FY 2013 Shows SBA Continuing to Help Small Businesses Grow and Create Jobs.......... Find Out Updates & Upcoming Events for Small Business in your Area: | | SBA Alabama District Tom Todt, District Director Alabama District Director Tom Todt and Senior Area Manager Brent McMahan participated in an Entrepreneur Small Business Workshop For Veterans on October 22 in Opelika, AL. The free one day workshop provided veterans and their spouses with the knowledge and resources to start and finance their veteran-owned small businesses. The event was sponsored by the District Office, Region IV Veterans Business Outreach Center, the National Leadership Conference and the Alabama Small Business Development Center Network. 119 attendees heard speakers address business start-up and finance and how SBA provides assistance to small businesses. |
Brent McMahan, Senior Area Manager, U.S. Small Business Administration addresses Veteran's Workshop in Opelika, AL. | | |
| | SBA North Florida District Wilfredo J. Gonzalez, District Director Wilfredo Gonzalez, District Director for the North Florida District Office, was recently honored for his outstanding leadership by Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. The inaugural Hispanic Leadership Award Ceremony, in celebration of "Es Mi Vida" (It's My Life) Hispanic Heritage Month, recognized individuals nominated by their peers, who have made substantial local and national civic contributions in fields ranging from business to health. In addition to the award recipients, a military family was honored for their family's two generations of military service and sacrifice. Wilfredo Gonzalez was chosen as a recipient of the Mayor's Hispanic Government Leader Award. He was recognized for his dedication, determination, and ongoing efforts to affect positive change and represent Jackonsville's Hispanic and Latino communities. |
| | SBA South Florida District Francisco "Pancho" Marrero, District Director The South Florida District office met or exceeded all its assigned goals for FY13. This accomplishment is reflected in the assistance extended to thousands of south Florida entrepreneurs and small business owners. Some of our most noteworthy events included our support to encore entrepreneurs at three events this past spring; the inaugural Boots to Business classes at three military installations in our district; more than a dozen events to raise awareness of the Affordable Care Act; and many others highlighting SBA programs. For the fourth consecutive year, SBA lending in south Florida increased over the previous fiscal year. SBA approved 1,723 loans totaling more than $900 million. This represents a 5% increase in loans approved and 15% increase in capital made available to small business owners to start and expand their businesses and create jobs. More importantly, south Florida had 34 lenders who made no loans in FY12 but made at least one in FY13. |
| | SBA Georgia District Terri Denison, District Director Georgia finished Fiscal Year 2013 surpassing the $1 billion mark in SBA-backed lending for the second time in three years. From October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013, 1,575 loans were approved totaling $1.156 billion. This activity level came close to matching Georgia's record year of FY 2011 with 1,691 loans totaling $1.161 billion. These are figures especially significant given that, unlike FY 2011 with the Small Business Jobs Act, they occurred without special program enhancements. |
| | SBA Kentucky District Ralph Ross, District Director The SBA Kentucky District Office is presenting information on the Affordable Care Act at five locations across Kentucky this fall in conjunction with AARP, Kentucky's Healthcare Exchange, and other regional healthcare and economic development agencies. Mr. Ralph Ross, the SBA Kentucky District Director, is discussing how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affects small businesses as well as small business healthcare resources. Kentucky Healthcare Exchange's "Kynectors" will be onsite to enroll attendees, and other healthcare and economic development agencies are available to answer specific questions about the ACA. All events, from 4:00 – 7:00 pm in Louisville, Hazard, Mt. Sterling, Lexington and Hopkinsville, are free to the public, but registration is requested. Call 1-877-926-8300 to reserve a seat and to find out locations and agencies participating, or click here and look in the Events and Workshops section for details. |
| | SBA Mississippi District Janita Stewart, District Director FY 2013 Loan Activity: For FY 2013, the Mississippi SBA office had 428 approved loans to Mississippi small businesses totaling $138,774,300. Jobs Created 1402 and Jobs Retained 1842. New Women's Business Center: SBA Mississippi is proud to announce the new Women's Business Center in Gulfport, MS. The new center will deliver high quality service focused on women entrepreneurs. Climb Community Development Center Women's Business Center Cindy Ward, Project Director 1316 30th Avenue Gulfport, MS 39501 (228) 864-6677 www.climbcdc.org |
| | South Carolina District Elliott Cooper, District Director SBA-backed loans to South Carolina small businesses hit a record high of $235,200,300 in fiscal year 2013, surpassing last year's record of $222,857,800. In fact, this is the third record-setting year in a row. The 359 SBA loans approved to South Carolina small businesses included 316 7(a) loans totaling $200,186,300 and 43 SBA 504 Program loans totaling $35,014,000. Stay tuned for more information in the upcoming November issue of the SC Small Business Dispatch newsletter! Sign up by clicking here and cliclking on "e-mail updates." |
| | SBA Tennessee District Walter Perry, District Director The Tennessee District had a very busy year serving small businesses from Memphis to Bristol. SBA guaranteed loan volume for FY 2013 was up 9% over FY 2012. Veterans events were conducted statewide including the "Services for Those Who Have Served" event in Kingsport and Boots To Business presentations at the Millington Naval Support Activity and Fort Campbell Army Base. The Emerging Leaders Initiative experienced its sixth successful year in Memphis. The District's partnership with the Greater Nashville Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, part of a national partnership SBA and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber, included several events for potential entrepreneurs as well as seasoned small businesses, and was capped by a reception and awards presentation in Nashville to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month. Government contracting events included the statewide Procurement Summit in June and an 8(a) contractors meeting held in August. International trade events were held in Kingsport, Chattanooga, Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville to heighten awareness of Tennessee's small businesses to go global with their products from the Volunteer State to world-wide markets. |
SBA Region IV Office Directory | | | This email was sent to sjr3gb659yw41fx.jjjzz@blogger.com by Small Business Administration (SBA) · 409 3rd St, SW · Washington DC 20416 · 1-800-827-5722 | | |