 | | Cassius Butts Regional Administrator U.S. Small Business Administration |
Shop Small this Saturday!! We all have a lot to be thankful for this season. I am especially thankful for the small businesses that are the driving force behind our robust economy. As I visit small business owners across the Southeast, I am encouraged by what they are sharing with me. Energy is high, outlooks are positive and small business owners are following their passion. I met with small business owners in Atlanta last week who started a business based on a particular need they had discovered. Nearly by accident, the business has grown to the point that they are seeking assistance from the SBA to manage the small business growth. It is with mixed feelings that I come across businesses that are afraid to grow too fast. It is an important thing to manage, but also a pleasant surprise. With these thoughts in mind, I encourage each of you to support our small business community and shop small this Saturday. Click Here to Learn More About Small Business Saturday......  Find Out Updates & Upcoming Events for Small Business in your Area: | | SBA Alabama District Tom Todt, District Director On November 14, 2013, the Alabama District Office gave two presentations on the Affordable Care Act. David Ramp, Public Information Officer, spoke to the monthly meeting of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business Advisory Council. The council, comprised of small business owners, local educators and chamber officials heard about the ACA timeline and important elements of the ACA as they relate to small business. Brent McMahan, Senior Area Manager, spoke to the Dothan Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon on the Affordable Care Act and the provisions related to small businesses. Also speaking were representatives of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama, a major health insurance provider in the state. |
 | | SBA North Florida District Wilfredo J. Gonzalez, District Director
Nine Jacksonville based businesses have graduated from the North Florida 2014 Emerging Leaders Program. The graduation ceremony was held on November 6, 2013 at the JAX Chamber. The program started in 2010, and is offered in select cities nationwide.
Congratulations to the following small business owners and executives: Renee Sharp, Vice President, F&R Professional Cleaning, Inc. Kelly Huber, Chiropractor, Chiropractic Plus Pam Gibson, President, Idea Staffing Printella Bankhead, President, EBS Security, Inc. Sara Slettebo, President, ReMilNet Steven J. Davis, President and CEO, Construction and Engineering Services Consultants, Inc. Douglas Dixon, President, Legit Partners/Deeway Towing Judi Tripp, President, RJ Tripp Inc. dba JL Tripp Builders Loribeth Dunman, President, Dunmar Group, Inc. |
  | | SBA South Florida District Francisco "Pancho" Marrero, District Director The South Florida District Office is closing in on a November "trifecta". Deputy District Director Jonel Hein signed a Strategic Alliance Memorandum (SAM) with the Melbourne Regional Chamber on Nov. 6. Less than a week later, Mary Hernandez, Regional Manager for the SBA's Export Solutions Group joined Ed Ramos from the North Florida district in signing a statewide SAM with Enterprise Florida. The district will sign a SAM with Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, on Nov. 19. This alliance will be the latest in a series of similar agreements between SBA and historically black colleges and universities located throughout the region. |
 | | SBA Georgia District Terri Denison, District Director The Georgia District Office is pleased to announce that SCORE Atlanta has named Dr. Robert Yancy as Chapter Chairperson. Dr. Yancy was founding Dean and Professor of the School of Business Administration at South Polytechnic State University. He served for 10 years as President and CEO of ZEBRA Corporation and was a partner in Park Space, an airport shuttle parking facility in Atlanta. Dr. Yancy has the distinction of being the first African American to serve as SCORE Atlanta Chapter Chair. He is working to further enhance SCORE's contributions to small business development in the Atlanta region and build a stronger, more diverse chapter. SCORE Atlanta is among the largest and most active chapters in the country. |
 | | SBA Kentucky District Ralph Ross, District Director
The Kentucky SBA Lenders Conference Committee, Inc. held the 2013 Kentucky SBA Lenders Conference at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY on November 22. SBA lenders and Resource Partners from across the state ended the event to acknowledge the 647 SBA loans for almost $155 million in FY2013, recognize top SBA lenders and participate in professional development sessions throughout the day. Top performers, by category and by # of loans and dollar amount), include the following: Top Regional Lenders 2013 U.S. Bank, N. A. 81 $ 17,005,700 The Huntington National Bank 45 $ 4,955,600 JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. 30 $ 5,123,800 Top Community Lenders 2013 Community Trust Bank, Inc. 77 $ 10,263,700 Traditional Bank, Inc. 18 $ 10,625,100 Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. 17 $ 7,230,000 Top Certified Development Lenders 2013 Capital Access Corporation 18 $ 10,628,000 Hamilton County Development Co. 7 $ 3,465,000 Community Ventures Corporation 7 $ 3,021,000 Top Micro Lenders 2013
Community Ventures Corporation 92 $ 434,810 Mountain Assoc. for Comm. Econ. Devel. 31 $ 410,965 Kentucky Highlands Investment Corp. 27 $ 766,850
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 | | SBA Mississippi District Janita Stewart, District Director
Virtual ACA 101 Webinar for Small Businesses Thursday, December 5th 9:00 am to 10:30 am (CST) Open and FREE to the small business public. SBA and Stakeholders will present information to small business attendees during the virtual meeting. To access the session, go to https://www.connectmeeting.att.com, enter 888-858-2144, then code 8756109. ACA Resource Fair Wednesday, December 11th 9:00 am to 11:30 a.m. (CST) The Mississippi e-Center @ JSU Convention Hall 1230 Raymond Road Jackson, MS Open and FREE to the small business public. Call (601) 979-1246 for directions or download a map at http://www.msecenter.com/documents/map.pdf. For registration and other information, visit the Mississippi SBA website at www.sba.gov/ms.
Encore Entrepreneur Mentor Networking Event December 17, 2013 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm The Sacred Heart Southern Missions 295 E. Francisco Avenue Holly Springs, MS 38635
The SBA, AARP and Scared Heart Southern Missions will host a special event to help individuals 50+ year of age interested in starting or growing a small business. During the event, SBA staff and SBDC members will work with AARP and other partner organizations on educational efforts, mentoring, and trainings to make sure new and existing encore entrepreneurs have the tools they need to start or grow their business. Entrepreneurs will also have the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with local mentors. The event is held in collaboration with Sacred Heart Southern Missions 'Economic Alternatives Program'. For date, registration and more details, contact Eleanor Clayborn, Economic Alternative Coordinator, at (662) 252-1336 or via email at eleanorclayborn@shsm.org. |
 | | SBA North Carolina District Lynn Douthett, District Director As we do every year in North Carolina, we have a special event to recognize the top SBA Lenders in the state. The North Carolina Bankers Association is hosting the 2013 North Carolina SBA Lenders Award Luncheon in Charlotte at the Hilton University Place on Tuesday December 3, 2013. The top SBA Lenders in North Carolina will be honored. Awards for Lender of the Year, Certified Development Company of the Year, Community Lender of the Year and others will be presented. Over 30 lenders will be represented. The day will include a training session for lenders on the new SOP changes and details of the fee eliminations effective for 2014. Follow us on Twitter & Facebook Subscribe to SBA Newsletters |
 | | South Carolina District Elliott Cooper, District Director On Tuesday, November 19, Frank Anderson and Floyd Bryant—our office's veteran business development officers—capped off a month of veteran entrepreneurship events by attending the veteran job fair at Fort Jackson. Since November 1, Frank and Floyd have participated in a veterans job fair at Shaw Air Force Base, counseled new and aspiring veteran entrepreneurs at a Columbia "encore entrepreneur" event with AARP, and presented a two-day Boots to Business workshop at Fort Jackson. Frank-a Lender Relations Specialist, is an Army veteran, and Floyd, a Business Opportunity Specialist, is an Air Force veteran. Our office is extremely grateful for their service to our country and their continued service to their fellow veterans!
Deputy District Director Gregg White was a featured speaker at Clemson University's annual Clemson Technology Village meeting on Thursday, November 21. According to its website, the Village is "a hybrid internet-consultant program designed to support new technology company formation and development in non-metropolitan areas. The hybrid internet/store-front incubator program blends the attributes of real-time distance entrepreneurial learning with hands on consulting support." The SBA South Carolina District Office is excited to have been among the participants in this cutting-edge effort. |
 | | SBA Tennessee District Walter Perry, District Director The Tennessee District has had a busy month serving the small business community. On October 22nd, DD Walter Perry and David Tiller appeared on WFSK Radio at Fisk University in Nashville for an update on ACA, followed by DD Perry's ACA presentation with members of the Cocke County Partnership in Newport on October 24th.
The sixth annual graduation of Emerging Leaders in Memphis was October 30th. In the six consecutive years of the program, eighty-nine entrepreneurs from west Tennessee have received a "mini-MBA" and have contributed greatly to the economic development of the area.
On November 8th, Kena Dixon, David Tiller and DD Walter Perry hosted "Federal Government Contracting for Veterans" in Nashville, including presentations by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Tennessee National Guard.
More than 500 attended the annual Energy, Technology and Environmental Business Association (ETEBA) event in Knoxville on November 12th & 13th with Gloria Armstead and DD Perry presenting SBA updates and Government Contracting workshops.
On November 15th, the Tennessee District hosted the ACA Navigators from the Tennessee Primary Care Association (TPCA) in a joint training session regarding the current 2013 and the January-March 2014 opportunities for small business employers contemplating the SHOP section of the ACA.
Region IV International Trade Officer, Sandro Murtas appeared with DD Perry and DITO David Tiller on "The Money Show" on WFSK Radio in Nashville on November 19th to talk about SBA's International Trade Loan programs and local SBA Success Stories. |
SBA Region IV Office Directory | | |
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