 SBA Online Courses Go to www.sba.gov for information on SBA programs and services.
 Veterans, whether you are starting or growing your business, SBA can help. Visit the resources SBA has for Veterans here. The Top 3 Things That Infuriate Today's Franchise Buyers Do you remember the last major purchase you made? If so, would you describe it as being a smooth, easy process, or a difficult, frustrating one that infuriated you to no end? If it was a smooth transaction, congratulations! But if it wasn't, and you happen to be thinking about buying a franchise-which is a major purchase, this article is for you. Keeping Up with State Workplace Laws If you have even one employee, you may be impacted by law changes occurring at your state or local level. Small business owners want to do the best they can for their workers, but often cost limits how generous they can be when it comes to pay and benefits. Writing YOUR Success Story It's the classic opening to our favorite fairy tales. As children we dream of magic potions and knights in shining armor that will provide our happily ever after. How were we to know that our own hard work, skill and determination could be far more effective? Setting the Stage By SBA Administrator Linda McMahon
SBA Administrator sets the stage for her role as leader of the SBA. How to Know When to Change Your Business Plan Sometimes you need to stick to your business plan to make it work. Even a mediocre strategy consistently executed over time is better than a series of brilliant strategies that keep going off in different directions. Strategy often takes time.  Contracting: Does Your Small Business Qualify? Small businesses do big business with the federal government. Think about the possibilities of generating sales and revenue with the government. Did you know the federal government buys nearly $100 billion worth of goods and services from small businesses each year? Government contracts can offer significant opportunities for small businesses, but selling to the government requires a very different approach than selling to the commercial sector. Understand how to: - Qualify as a small business
- Determine your NAICS code
- Register for government contracting
Learn more SBA Region IV Office 233 Peachtree St. NE Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30303 region_4@sba.gov 470-891-5509 (temporary number)
Leadership: Mark S. Hayward Acting Regional Administrator SBA Region IV Office Staff:
Tawana Farley, Regional Office Manager tawana.farley@sba.gov 470-891-5512 Lola Kress, Regional Communications Director lola.kress@sba.gov 404-330-4737  | | @SBASoutheast |
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Elliott Cooper has served as the District Director of the SBA's South Carolina District Office in Columbia since April 7, 1991. Through Cooper's leadership and direction, capital infusion from SBA business loans has exceeded over $1 billion dollars. Government contracting efforts have brought federal contracting opportunities to South Carolina's small business community that exceeds $150 billion dollars. Cooper has also provided leadership and oversight for the Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), SCORE and the Women's Business Center (WBC). Working with our Office of Disaster Assistance, Cooper guided the disaster recovery efforts for some catastrophic disasters including Hurricane Floyd, Matthew, and the flood in Columbia-2015. Cooper has had a tremendous impact on the economy in South Carolina. Before joining SBA, he was employed in real estate and banking. Mr. Cooper was raised in Columbia, South Carolina. He graduated from The Citadel and completed Executive Development studies at the University of Georgia and Graduate School of Business at Indiana University. Mr. Cooper was a member of the Board of Trustees for Richland Memorial Hospital (now Palmetto Health) for eight years, serving as Chairman of the Board for two and-a-half years. He also served as Federal co-Chair of the South Carolina Rural Economic Development Council and as Chairman of the Combines Federal Campaign of the Greater Columbia Area. In addition, Mr. Cooper has been on the Board of Directors for the Arthritis Foundation, United Way of South Carolina, the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, the Columbia Sertoma Club, and Junior Achievement of Great Columbia. Also Mr. Cooper has been active in various community Service organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, the Salvation Army and The Citadel Foundation. Cooper will be retiring on May 31, 2017, after 26 years of service with the SBA. Cooper stated, "It has been an absolute pleasure to have had the opportunity to serve the citizens of South Carolina." In addition, Cooper proudly served as the Acting Regional Administrator for Region 4 on two different occasions. He is very appreciative to have had the opportunity to serve the citizens of Region 4. Cooper stated, "When I started, I had a large staff and focused a lot of attention on employee development and team building. I am very happy that banks are loaning to small businesses more now. The reality is small businesses fuel our economic engine to create jobs. Having a few more micro lenders has become a value-add for business development." On May 3rd during the Salute to Small Business event, Governor McMaster presented Mr. Cooper with The Order of the Palmetto. The Order of the Palmetto is the state's highest civilian honor awarded to citizens of South Carolina for extraordinary lifetime service and achievements of national or statewide significance. The Order of the Palmetto is a once in a lifetime achievement.  Pictured (L-R): South Carolina Governor Henry D. McMaster honors Elliott O. Cooper-South Carolina District Director with the Order of the Palmetto Mr. Cooper, on behalf of your staff, your leadership will be truly missed. We will definitely miss your stories and sense of humor! We wish you the best and enjoy retirement!  Pictured (L-R): Elliott Cooper-District Director, Susan Chavis-Economic Development Specialist, Angela Brewer- Business Opportunity Specialist, Barbara Dale Lowder-District Counsel, Frank Anderson-Lender Relations Specialist. Back Row (L-R): Carl Faison-Business Opportunity Specialist, Richard Gregg White-Deputy District Director, William Furman-Senior Area Manager, Martin Short-Economic Development Specialist/PAS, and Michael Corp-Lead Business Opportunity Specialist (Not pictured): Savannah Wilburn-Economic Development Specialist  | |
Tom Todt, District Director |
Karen and Jodie Ray Stanfield (center), owners of Local Joe's Trading Post, were Alabama's Small Business Persons of the Year. They were thrilled to be in DC to receive their award from Administrator McMahon. (Photos courtesy of Ken Grissom). DD Tom Todt first met the Stanfields in November 2016, when Ken Grissom, Director of the SBDC at Jacksonville State University, showcased the company on a Small Business Saturday tour. Grissom nominated the firm for Small Business Person of the Year, and the rest—as they say—is history. Grissom, representing the Alabama SBDC Network, accompanied the couple to DC to receive their award. After their return from DC, they were still "on the road" to receive their state award from the Alabama District Office, which was presented at the Business After Hours event hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Gadsden/Etowah County.   | |
Wilfredo J. Gonzalez,
District Director |
The North Florida District Office facilitated a successful series of events with SBA Administrator, Linda McMahon as she recently visited Orlando, Florida. She first spoke to over 20 Hispanic small business owners during a round table discussion at the National Entrepreneur Center (NEC), hosted by the SBA, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando, and Prospera (formerly the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund of Florida or HBIF). The NEC houses several area resource and community partners including the Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida and SCORE Orlando. After the round table, she dined at a local eatery called Cork and Fork, where all the produce and meat is locally sourced from nearby farms. The Administrator then visited Advanced IT Concepts, Inc. (AITC) a small Hispanic owned business in the North Florida 8(a) portfolio. Gabriel Ruiz, President of AITC is also the 2017 North Florida District Small Business Person of the Year.  SBA Administrator McMahon addressing the round table participants along with Frank Lopez, President, HCCMO; Gilbert Colón, SBA North Florida District Office.   Group photo with Administrator McMahon and SBA team, SBA resource partners, at the Cork and Fork Café with owner, Orhan Soysal.  L to R: Gabriel Ruiz LTC (Ret.); Ed Ramos, SBA Orlando Area Senior Manager; Administrator McMahon; Nayana Sen, SBA Public Affairs Specialist; and Thomas Van Horn, SBA Procurement Center Representative.  | |
Francisco Marrero, District Director |
As a tribute to Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the South Florida District is featuring the co-founder of Ocho Rios-Miami. Aston Lue, who considers himself Chinese-Jamaican American, imports and exports a line of specialty foods tailored to serve the Jamaican, Caribbean and Hispanic market. Click here to read more on how the SBDC mentor team helped this small business owner access the capital needed to successfully expand his business. Video Link: Ochos Rios #SmallBusinessWeek Wrap-up From South Florida: We would like to extend another round of applause to our 2017 South Florida District NSBW award winners. - South Florida District and State of Florida Small Business Person of the Year
Paul Morrow, President of South Dade Air Conditioning and Refrigeration - South Florida District and State of Florida Exporter of the Year
David Rosen, CEO and Founder of Kira Labs, Inc. - South Florida District Small Business Woman-Owned Person of the Year
Christine Phipps, CEO of Phipps Reporting - South Florida District and State of Florida Veteran Owned Business of the Year
Edward Haynes, President of Haynes Security - South Florida District and State of Florida Small Business Advocate of the Year
Marjorie Weber, Financial Consultant for the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Florida International University - South Florida District and State of Florida Small Business Financial Advocate of the Year
Debra Salas, Vice President/Small Business Program Director of Neighborhood Lending Partners - South Florida District and State of Florida Small Business Media Advocate of the Year
Nancy Dahlberg, Business Reporter for The Miami Herald - Region IV, State of Florida and South Florida District Women's Business Center of Excellence
weVENTURE at Florida Institute of Technology (Director Erica Lemp)  | |
Terri Denison,
District Director |
SBA Deputy Director Rosemarie Drake, Georgia District Office, conducts an interview with CBS46, in Atlanta, at the Highway I-85 Business Resource Event. Drake and staff were on hand to educate attendees about the range of programs and benefits available to assist business owners regardless of whether or not they were affected by the highway collapse. The event brought together federal, state and local government agencies, economic development organizations, lenders, SBA resource partners, affected business owners and community leaders. It is estimated that more than 450 businesses, located within an one-mile radius of the collapse site, were severely impacted.  | |
Ralph Ross,
District Director |
Kentucky's Debra Dudley (left), President of Oscarware, Inc.; SBA Administrator Linda McMahon (center); and Jeff Dudley (right), Vice President of Oscarware. Ms. Dudley is holding her SBA Small Business Person of the Year National 1st Runner-up Award. She was recognized at the National Small Business Awards program in Washington, DC on May 1. Oscarware, Inc., a family-owned manufacturing business, was founded in 1989 by Debra and Reg Dudley. They invented a new product they called "grill topper," making it possible to cook a variety of meals on an outdoor grill. Since that first product, Oscarware has expanded to 17 outdoor cooking gadgets, all manufactured in Kentucky. Oscarware has grown to 32 employees and distributes products across the United States. The company now exports products to Europe, with assistance from the SBA STEP exporting program, and is working with accounts in Canada and Mexico. When Reginald "Reg" Dudley passed away unexpectedly in 2006, Debra took over at the manufacturing side of the company. She reached out to the Western Kentucky University Small Business Development Center. She and her SBDC counselor developed a strong business plan that enabled the company to obtain several commercial bank loans. This influx of cash allowed the company to grow the business significantly and create more jobs. In the past three years, revenues have rapidly grown, and net worth has more than doubled. In 2015, the company's sales grew a record 50 percent. Debra and Oscarware annually contribute time and money to local and regional charities, civic groups and schools. The SBA Kentucky District Office and Kentucky SBDC held the Kentucky Celebrates Small Business awards program on May 3rd in Frankfort. Awards were presented by Lieutenant Governor Jenean Hampton and Secretary of State Alison Grimes.  | |
Janita Stewart, District Director |
Small Business Week & Top Lenders/Top CDCs Awards Event On the evening of Thursday, May 4th, Mississippi SBA District Director Janita Stewart and staff held its 2017 Small Business Week, Top Lenders and Top CDCs Awards Reception. The ceremony, held at the Magnolia Civic Center – Cine Theatre in New Albany, Mississippi, brought together a crowd of about 100 attendees, and celebrated a network of Mississippi small businesses, entrepreneurs, champions and outstanding lenders. New Albany was recently named by USA Today Readers' Choice as the #1 Best Southern Small Town. It just so happens that the Mississippi SBPOY, Mary Jennifer Russell, Owner and Founder of Sugaree's Bakery, is from New Albany and the SBA Mississippi District was able to recognize Mary Jennifer right there in her very own home town. The audience consisted of small business owners and supporters, lending organizations, resource partners and others in support of the outstanding achievements of the awardees while underscoring the economic impact of entrepreneurship through SBA's programs in Mississippi. New Albany Mayor Tim Kent and representatives from U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker's offices brought greetings, and staff from Congressman Trent Kelley's office were also among those in attendance.  |
Mississippi Small Business Week Awardees Left to Right: Gary Reed, DDD; Janita Stewart, DD; Financial Services Champion Vickie Rivers of Renaissance Community Loan Fund, Gulfport; Small Business Person of the Year Mary Jennifer Russell of Sugaree's Bakery, New Albany; Nominator Rebecca Davis of Main Street Pascagoula o/b/o Keith Delcambre of Bozo's Seafood, Pascagoula, Generational Family-Owned Small Business (unable to attend); and Young Entrepreneur Latrice Rogers of Goddess Lengths Virgin Hair, Jackson. Unable to attend was Minority Small Business Champion Dr. Louis Finkle, Gaston Point Community Development Corp., Gulfport.  Mississippi's Top Lenders & Top CDCs for FY16 Left to Right: Gary Reed, DDD; Patricia Speed of Covington County Bank; Chuck Jackson of First Financial Bank; Janita Stewart, DD; Austin Lane of Trustmark National Bank; Leigha McLendon of BankPlus; Brad McGee of Community Bank; and toward right in photo is Larry Anderson and Frank Quinn representing Central MS Development Co., Inc. Awardees unable to attend were Live Oak Banking, Peoples Bank, Metropolitan Bank and Six Bridges Capital Corporation. Community Bank of Mississippi was recognized as "Top Loan Volume and Top Dollar" Lender of the Year.  | |
Lynn Douthett, District Director |
Congratulations SBA Southeast Region Subcontractor of the Year During Small Business Week, SBA recognized Neeta Singh, President and CEO of Tiger Controls, as the 2017 Small Business Subcontractor of the Year for the Southeast. On May 2, SBA North Carolina District Director Lynn Douthett presented the award at the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce award luncheon. Neeta was born in India and moved to the United States, becoming a U.S. Citizen as a child. In 1999, she started Tiger Controls and has been selling electrical, electronic, and industrial supplies ever since. She took advantage of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) at the NC Small Business & Technology Development Center. With PTAC assistance, she applied for and received SBA 8(a) certification and graduated from the business development program in 2016. Her team also worked with another SBTDC counselor to improve several areas of her business including financial analysis, business planning, staff development, and strategic planning. Tiger Controls has performed work for agencies including U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Lab, and Jefferson Laboratory at the Savannah River. Among the firm's private industry clients are large prime contractors Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. When Tiger Controls started in the 8(a) program, they had 13 employees with revenue of just over $5 million. In 2016, sales exceeded $12 million with a staff of 22. SBA NC District Director Lynn Douthett (left) presents the 2017 Southeast Regional Subcontractor of the Year Award to Neeta Singh.  | |
Elliott O. Cooper,
District Director |
The SBA South Carolina District Office welcomes new Economic Development Specialist Savannah Wilburn. District Director Elliott Cooper is pleased to have Wilburn on the team. Formerly, Wilburn was with the SBA El Paso District Office as an economic development specialist and public information officer. She started with the El Paso District Office in 2015. Prior to joining the SBA, Wilburn worked for the El Paso Veteran Healthcare Administration, Department of Defense, and was a supervisory loan officer for a credit union. Wilburn has an MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Texas at El Paso and graduated with honors in 2015. She also graduated with her bachelors in communications from the University of Maryland University College. Wilburn's current role is to conduct training, outreach events, and to build lender relationships throughout South Carolina. The SBA South Carolina Business Opportunity Specialist (BOS) Team hosted a Contracting 101 workshop on 5/17/17. The workshop is conducted monthly by the BOS Team. The workshop is designed to convey information on how to do business with the world's biggest customer-the U.S. Government. In addition, participants learn about the SBA's small business contracting programs, including the 8(a) Business Development Program, Woman-Owned Small Business Program (WOSB), Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), and Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Program.  | | Pictured: Michael Corp, SBA Lead Business Opportunity Specialist |
 | | LaTanya Channel, District Director |
Come meet government contracting agencies and SBA staff who can help you Do Business With The Federal Government! - May 31 in Memphis: Army Corp of Engineering Industry Day
- June 15 in Memphis: SBA District Office -training to prepare you to do business with the federal government
- July 18 in Memphis: NASA Industry Day
- August 2: ChallengeHer in Nashville focused on WOSB
Contact The SBA Tennessee District Office for more information: tn@sba.gov
SBA kicked off its first in a monthly series of "Coffee, Tea, and Contracting" where SBA Staff will, every first Tuesday of the month, focus on 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, SDVOSB and the new Mentor Protege Program for all Small Businesses. Business, agencies, resource partners, attorneys, and CPAs attended the kickoff event. "Coffee, Tea, and Contracting" First Tuesday of every month held at the SBA Tennessee District Office in Nashville, TN. Contact tn@sba.gov for more information. |
