Dear Editor:
Shortly after President Trump swore her in as U.S. Small Business Administrator, Linda McMahon vowed to meet as many small business owners and their employees as she could.
As their advocate in Washington, it has been of paramount importance the Administrator hears directly from our local entrepreneurs about their needs and concerns. Delivering on her promise, she has already visited all 68 of our District Offices in all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, and so far has met and toured the factories, warehouses and kitchens of more than 800 small business owners.
I’m proud of the hard work our field staff has put in to make these visits a success. I am equally as proud of the entrepreneurs who shared their stories of hardship and success. A recurring theme has been the important role SBA and our partner organizations have in turning those hardships into successes.
From backing loans and mentoring businesses for startup and growth, to creating opportunities with our Emerging Leaders business development program and our 8(a) program helping minority-owned small businesses break into federal contracting, SBA is part of so many small business success stories.
Every business, every industry, every state is unique, and that was made clear everywhere the Administrator went in the Mid-Atlantic Region. During her trip to the Mountain State she toured the SBA’s 2018 Small Business Person of the Year National First Runner-Up Alpha Technologies, toured BridgeValley Community & Technical College, and hosted a small business roundtable.
She spoke to the President during the July 18, 2018 White House Cabinet Meeting about the great work BridgeValley is doing with apprenticeships, through which students learn on campus while working and earning a salary, and then graduate with a skill and a job.
Small businesses aren’t all mom-and-pop shops and corner restaurants. The diversity of our economy and the innovation of our small business owners prove the entrepreneurial spirit of this country is alive and well. Small manufacturers who provide anywhere from a handful to hundreds of jobs in communities where they’re really needed are our clients too.
So too is the engineering student with ideas to improve our world. The SBA-backed Small Business Development Center at her university is there to guide her down the path to copyright her ideas, find investors and loans, and set up manufacturing facilities.
Name the small business, and SBA is very likely able to help. Find out more by visiting our website www.sba.gov.
Sincerely,
Michelle Christian
SBA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator