Nov. 27: Consumers Can Show Their Support for Small Business This Holiday Season on 'Small Business Saturday[SM]'

First there was Black Friday, then Cyber Monday. On Nov. 27, 2010, comes Small Business Saturday[SM], a day to support the local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. This year's first-ever Small Business Saturday is a national movement to drive shoppers to local merchants across the U.S.

Joining GoodBiz113 ad partner American Express OPEN, the company’s small-business unit, in declaring the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday, are an initial group of more than a dozen advocacy, public and private organizations, including:

* The 3/50 Project
* Business Matchmaking
* Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau
* Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence
* Destination DC
* eWomenNetwork
* Facebook
* Girls Inc.
* Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau
* LA INC. The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau
* National Association of Women Business Owners [NAWBO]
* National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Center
* New York City Department of Small Business Services
* NYC & Company
* San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau
* SCORE: Counselors to America's Small Businesses
* Women Impacting Public Policy
* Women’s Leadership Exchange
* Women President’s Organization
* Yelp!

American Express Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kenneth I. Chenault will launch the nationwide program later today with New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

Small Businesses Rock!
Small businesses are critical to the nation’s overall economy. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration [SBA], there were nearly 28 million small businesses in the United States last year. Over the past two decades, they created 65 percent of net new jobs.

Their importance to local communities extends even further. For every $100 spent in locally owned, independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures, according to the small-business advocacy group The 3/50 Project.

"Small business is the engine of job creation in the U.S. economy," said Mr. Chenault, chairman and chief executive officer, American Express. "It is also among the sectors hardest-hit by the recession. By spreading the word about Small Business Saturday, we can help raise awareness about the critical role small businesses play in cities and towns across the country at a time when they need support the most."

"Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the glue that holds communities together, and we’ve always sought new ways to support them -- something that became even more important when the national economic downturn began," noted Mayor Bloomberg. "When Ken Chenault told me about his idea for Small Business Saturday, I jumped at the opportunity to participate.

"We’ve all heard about Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year, if you have the opportunity to shop on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, make it a point to visit local small businesses. It really can make an enormous difference for merchants trying to succeed."

Joining the Movement
Social media will play a central role in helping raise awareness about the importance of supporting small business and recognizing Small Business Saturday. American Express is launching campaigns on Facebook and Twitter, driving consumers and business owners to http://www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday, where they can participate in many ways -- including:

* American Express is giving a $25 statement credit to 100,000 Cardmembers who register their Card and use it to shop on Small Business Saturday at any locally owned, independent small businesses that accept American Express.

* American Express is also giving $100 of free Facebook advertising to 10,000 business owners who sign up at http://www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday to help build online buzz and drive customers to shop at their businesses on Small Business Saturday. By simply entering a few pieces of information and clicking a button, these business owners can create a personalized, geo-targeted ad that will run on Facebook leading up to Nov. 27. Facebook has donated $500,000 in Facebook credits for these small-business owners to use in the future.

* Small-business owners can also download online promotional materials and use a number of social-media tools to promote their businesses on the inaugural Small Business Saturday.

* Everyone can spread the word about the day and their favorite businesses by giving a shout-out to their favorite local shops and restaurants via Facebook and Twitter.

* For every person who "likes" Small Business Saturday on Facebook, American Express is donating $1 up to $500,000 to Girls Inc., to empower young women to be the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

To support Small Business Saturday, American Express is also launching a national advertising campaign.

"Supporting local business is more than just a one-day event, and Small Business Saturday is a movement we can all help sustain," Chenault added. "We encourage consumers across the country to join us and the many advocates that are already on board."

Who Has Joined the Movement?
An initial group of more than a dozen advocacy, public and private organizations are thus far part of the Small Business Saturday movement.

"The 3/50 Project is pleased to be joining American Express OPEN on Small Business Saturday," said Cinda Baxter, founder of The 3/50 Project. "According to a recent survey, 90 percent of consumers are willing to pledge support for a buy-local-small-business initiative. So, I ask everyone to pledge their support for Small Business Saturday and to shop exclusively with independent stores on Nov. 27."

The 3/50 Project encourages consumers to pick three locally owned, independent brick-and-mortar businesses they can’t live without, and commit to spending $50 per month across the three businesses -- in addition to all of the other spending they do.

"When we invest in small businesses, we are investing in Main Streets -- the places that give our towns and cities a unique sense of place," said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which includes the National Trust Main Street Center. "By celebrating Small Business Saturday and shopping at independent businesses, everyone can play a part in strengthening our economy and supporting revitalization on our Main Streets."

The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Center is a preservation-based economic development program that helps more than 2,000 communities nationally revitalize their historic and traditional commercial districts by leveraging local assets.

For more information on the movement, visit http://facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturday or http://www.smallbusinesssaturday.com/.

American Express OPEN
American Express OPEN is the leading payment card issuer for small businesses in the United States, and supports business owners with products and services to help them run and grow their businesses. This includes business charge and credit cards that deliver purchasing power, flexibility, rewards, savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners, plus online tools and services designed to help improve profitability.

Learn more at http://www.open.com/ and connect at http://www.openforum.com/, http://www.facebook.com/open and http://twitter.com/openforum.

American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at http://www.americanexpress.com/, and connect on http://www.facebook.com/americanexpress, http://twitter.com/americanexpress and http://www.youtube.com/americanexpress.

The 3/50 Project
The 3/50 Project [http://www.the350project.net/] is a grass-roots awareness campaign focused on reuniting consumers and independent, locally owned brick-and-mortar businesses in their communities.

Begun in March 2009 as an off-the-cuff blog post written by Minneapolis retail expert, Cinda Baxter, The 3/50 Project asks consumers to return to three local businesses they love and don’t want to lose, then to commit $50 of their current monthly budget toward local, independent merchants.

The message went viral via social media, exploding onto the national stage as a unique, positive and achievable concept. Launch of http://www.the350project.net/ and its companion Facebook page have since garnered international support from small-business owners and consumers alike.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation Main Street Center
Established in 1980 as a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Trust Main Street Center is the nation’s largest commercial district revitalization organization. The Center provides information, offers technical assistance, holds conferences and workshops, and conducts research and advocacy on critical revitalization issues in order to best serve the communities and individuals interested in revitalizing traditional commercial districts.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation [http://www.preservationnation.org/] is a nonprofit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history -- and the important moments of everyday life -- took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development, and promote environmental sustainability.

SOURCES: American Express OPEN, National Trust for Historic Preservation, The 3/50 Project, U.S. Small Business Administration
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President Obama on Infrastructure Investment: "This is Work That Needs to Be Done. There Are Workers Who Are Ready to Do It."

During tough economic times, one of the toughest jobs to hold is as a construction worker. In almost any city or town in America, you're likely to see buildings, projects, or roads left half-done after investments made by private enterprise or state and local governments -- based on expectations of a brighter economic future -- dried up.

Meanwhile, there is a near-universal consensus that America's infrastructure is both falling apart and lagging behind as our competitors move forward on the next generation of transportation.

That's part of why a new report from the Council of Economic Advisers [CEA] and the Treasury Department [pdf] encourages a bold, new plan to invest -- finding that infrastructure projects have a high bang for the buck because construction costs are low, due to underutilized resources, and that these investments would create jobs in sectors of the economy suffering from some of the highest levels of unemployment. The Recovery Act already created hundreds of thousands of jobs this way, but there is more than enough left to do.

After meeting with some of his Cabinet secretaries -- along with a bipartisan group of former secretaries of Transportation, mayors and governors who have come together in support of infrastructure investment -- President Obama [pictured with the group outside the White House] spoke both on the depth of the problem and value of the solution.

On the Problem...
"For years, we have deferred tough decisions, and today, our aging system of highways and byways, air routes and rail lines hinder our economic growth. Today, the average American household is forced to spend more on transportation each year than food.

"Our roads, clogged with traffic, cost us $80 billion a year in lost productivity and wasted fuel. Our airports, choked with passengers, cost nearly $10 billion a year in productivity losses from flight delays. And in some cases, our crumbling infrastructure costs American lives. It should not take another collapsing bridge or failing levee to shock us into action.

"So we’re already paying for our failure to act. And what’s more, the longer our infrastructure erodes, the deeper our competitive edge erodes.

"Other nations understand this. They are going all-in. Today, as a percentage of GDP, we invest less than half of what Russia does in their infrastructure, less than one-third of what Western Europe does.

"Right now, China’s building hundreds of thousands of miles of new roads. Over the next 10 years, it plans to build dozens of new airports. Over the next 20, it could build as many as 170 new mass transit systems.

"Everywhere else, they’re thinking big. They’re creating jobs today, but they’re also playing to win tomorrow. So the bottom line is, our shortsightedness has come due. We can no longer afford to sit still."

On the Solution...
"By investing in these projects, we’ve already created hundreds of thousands of jobs. But the fact remains that nearly one in five construction workers is still unemployed and needs a job. And that makes absolutely no sense at a time when there is so much of America that needs rebuilding.

"So that’s why, last month, I announced a new plan for upgrading America’s roads, rails and runways for the long-term.

"Over the next six years, we will rebuild 150,000 miles of our roads -- enough to circle the world six times. We will lay and maintain 4,000 miles of our railways -- enough to stretch from coast to coast. And we will restore 150 miles of runways and advance a next-generation air-traffic control system that reduces delays for the American people.

"This plan will be fully paid for. It will not add to our deficit over time. And we are going to work with Congress to see to that. It will establish an infrastructure bank to leverage federal dollars and focus on the smartest investments.

"We want to cut waste and bureaucracy by consolidating and collapsing more than 100 different, often duplicative programs. And it will change the way Washington works by reforming the federal government’s patchwork approach of funding and maintaining our infrastructure.

"We’ve got to focus less on wasteful earmarks, outdated formulas. We’ve got to focus more on competition and innovation; less on shortsighted political priorities, and more on our national economic priorities.

"So investing in our infrastructure is something that members of both political parties have always supported. It’s something that groups ranging from the Chamber of Commerce to the AFL-CIO support today. And by making these investments across the country, we won’t just make our economy run better over the long haul -- we will create good, middle-class jobs right now."

* * *

GoodBiz113's Take: Between 1935 and 1943, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration [aka Work Projects Administration, or WPA] put nearly eight million people to work on much-needed public works projects that reshaped America's infrastructure -- all while benefiting individuals, families, small businesses, corporations and communities from coast to coast.

In their joint report released today, Department of Treasury and CEA officials present a compelling case for taking action ASAP to invest financial resources in another historic infrastructure-building initiative that will serve short-term employment needs, as well as our nation's long-term transportation and economic-development needs.

Let's just hope that, 70-plus years later, the petty partisanship that nearly blocked FDR's far-reaching efforts doesn't rear its ugly head yet again by trying to obstruct common-sense, future-forward progress.

SOURCES: Council of Economic Advisers, Treasury Department, The White House [photo by Lawrence Jackson], Wikipedia
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Vice President Biden Makes His Second Trip to the Gulf Coast; SBA Assistance Loans Surpass $15 Million

In his second trip to the Gulf Coast since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began, Vice President Joe Biden traveled to Theodore, Ala., yesterday to assess efforts to counter the disaster.

During his visit, the Vice President [pictured above with Walt Dorn, of Patriot Environmental Services] toured the Theodore Staging Facility, met with response personnel, inspected boom, and participated in a roundtable discussion with fishermen and small-business owners from the area. He was joined by National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen and NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco.

Afterwards, the Vice President stressed the Administration’s commitment to restoring the Gulf Coast: "We’re not going to stop until this area -- all the entire Gulf -- has recovered; until the economy of the Gulf is revitalized and literally a way of life is restored," he said. "Because we’re not just talking about a natural ecosystem that’s in danger down here. We’re talking about an economic ecosystem.

"We’re also talking about a cultural ecosystem, a whole way of life. Whatever it takes to make this Gulf right, we’re going to make it right."

Approved SBA Economic Injury Assistance Loans Surpass $15 Million
To date, the U.S. Small Business Administration [SBA] has approved 181 economic injury assistance loans, totaling more than $15 million for Gulf Coast small businesses impacted by the Deepwater BP oil spill. Additionally, the agency has granted deferments on 707 existing SBA disaster loans in the region, totaling more than $3.7 million per month in payments.

For information on assistance loans for affected businesses, visit the SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance; call 800-659-2955 [800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired]; or e-mail disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Additional Resources
For information about the response effort, visit http://www.restorethegulf.gov/.

For specific information about the federal-wide response, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/deepwater-bp-oil-spill.

SOURCES: U.S. Small Business Administration, Unified Command for the Deepwater BP Oil Spill, The White House [photo by David Lienemann]
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SBA Offers New Podcasts to Help Small Businesses Break Into the Global Market

The U.S. Small Business Administration is now offering a new set of three export-oriented podcasts offering valuable information on issues and challenges that small-business exporters may face when dealing with specific countries.

The podcasts, featuring interviews with business representatives from Uganda, Cameroon and Bahrain, are part of a comprehensive effort by SBA to promote and support President Barack Obama’s National Export Initiative. The interviews focus on what U.S. companies can expect when exporting to those countries, and provide information relevant to their respective business and import environments.

"U.S. small businesses looking to increase sales and profit should look beyond the U.S. borders," said SBA Administrator Karen Mills [pictured]. "Nearly 96 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the U.S., and small businesses need to factor that in to their strategic planning. We’re hoping these tools will help them do that, so they can grow and create jobs here at home."

The podcasts on Uganda and Cameroon include interviews with two women business owners who are members of the Africa Business Women Network, an organization that supports a network of businesswomen’s organizations in Africa. The podcast on Bahrain features an interview with an official of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The podcasts are available online at http://bit.ly/PodcastsExportsSBA, and include transcripts. They provide valuable information on country infrastructure, types of U.S. products and services in demand, cultural tips on how to do business, plus other relevant issues.

In his State of the Union Address on Jan. 27, 2010, President Obama announced the National Export Initiative as part of an effort to promote and achieve long-term, sustainable economic growth for the United States. The President has a goal of doubling exports over the next five years -- an increase that will support 2 million American jobs. The SBA is committed to supporting NEI by offering American small businesses the resources they need to break into, and succeed in, the global market.

In addition to the new online tools, SBA resource partners Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, and SCORE -- as well as U.S. Export Assistance Centers -- are available to assist small businesses that are interested in exporting in every U.S. state and territory.

These resource partners can help entrepreneurs identify potential export markets; facilitate export transactions; develop links between United States small-business and pre-screened foreign buyers; advise on participation in international trade shows; assist in obtaining export financing; and developing or re-orienting marketing and production strategies.

In addition to counseling resources in every state and territory, there are export specialists available at the eight International Trade Export Assistance Centers, plus SCORE online international trade advisers.

There are 19 U.S. Export Assistance Centers located in major metropolitan areas throughout the United States. USEACs are one-stop shops ready to provide small- or medium-sized businesses with personalized local export assistance by professionals from the U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Export-Import Bank, and other public and private organizations. For more information about USEACs, go to http://bit.ly/USEAC.

To find your local small-business counseling resources, please visit http://www.sba.gov/.

SOURCE: U.S. Small Business Administration
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USIBWC Awards Contract to El Paso Firm for Rio Grande Levee Construction, Funded by the Recovery Act

The United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission [USIBWC] has awarded a construction contract for rehabilitation of Rio Grande Rectification Project levees in West Texas, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 [Recovery Act]. The Recovery Act includes $220 million for USIBWC levee projects.

A contract in the amount of $8.3 million was awarded to Ultimate Concrete LLC of El Paso, Tex., to construct 15.4 miles of levee improvements in El Paso and Hudspeth counties. In accordance with the contract, Ultimate Concrete will raise and make structural improvements to 6.9 miles of river levee in the Fabens-Tornillo area and 8.5 miles at Fort Hancock between the Alamo and Diablo Arroyos, including a gated floodwall at the Fort Hancock-Porvenir International Bridge. The work is expected to be completed in early 2011.

"I am pleased that we are able to improve flood protection for the community while putting local people back to work," said U.S. Commissioner Edward Drusina [pictured].

The Rio Grande Rectification Project is a USIBWC flood control project that covers 85 river miles from El Paso to Fort Quitman, Tex. The USIBWC has already raised Rectification Project levees protecting the city of El Paso.

The USIBWC is raising levee height and making structural improvements to bring the levees into compliance with standards established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] to provide protection against the 100-year river flood.

To date, the USIBWC has awarded $154.7 million in Recovery Act contracts -- including contracts for levee construction in Hatch and the Mesilla Valley, in New Mexico; El Paso’s Upper Valley, in Texas; and the Lower Rio Grande Valley, in Hidalgo and Cameron counties, Texas.

The purpose of the Recovery Act is to create and save jobs, promote economic recovery, and invest in infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits. USIBWC Recovery Act expenditures have already preserved or created 390 jobs.

The USIBWC provides regular public updates on its planning and spending of Recovery Act funds at http://www.recovery.gov/ and http://www.state.gov/recovery. A project schedule is available at http://bit.ly/RecoveryUSIBWC.

SOURCES: Recovery.gov, U.S. Department of State
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Recovery Loan Queue Activated as SBA Presses for Longer-Term Funding

U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Karen Mills today issued the following statement regarding efforts to ensure continued funding for two key provisions first implemented as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act [ARRA] of 2009:

"Two key enhancements to SBA’s loan programs -- increased guarantees and reduced fees in our two largest lending programs -- have engineered a significant turnaround in SBA lending, and have been successful in helping jump-start our economy for small businesses," said Mills. "To date, these programs have supported more than $27.5 billion in lending to more than 60,000 small businesses across the country. They have also brought more than 1,300 lenders back to SBA’s loan programs, increasing the points of access for small businesses to get the capital they have needed during these tough economic times.

"Due to the heavy demand from small businesses for available credit, the original $375 million provided under the ARRA for these loans was exhausted in November. Since then, additional funds have been provided for short-term extensions, and those funds, too, have been exhausted. As a result, today we communicated to our lending partners that we have reactivated the Recovery Loan Queue. The queue is an efficient and transparent way to ensure that every remaining dollar possible is made available to help small businesses drive economic recovery across the country.

"Small businesses are a key engine for job creation across the country. With that in mind, President Obama has laid out an aggressive agenda for providing small businesses with the tools they need to drive economic growth. A key piece of that agenda is a longer-term extension of these increased guarantees and reduced fees, and we urge Congress to move quickly to continue these critical programs."

SBA’s ARRA Programs
As part of the Recovery Act, enacted on Feb. 17, 2009, SBA received $730 million to help small businesses -- including $375 million to increase the SBA guarantee on 7[a] loans to 90 percent, and to reduce borrower fees on most 7[a] and 504 loans.

The funds for these programs were exhausted on Nov. 23, 2009, and an additional $125 million was provided in December. Those funds were exhausted in late February, and an additional $60 million was provided to extend the programs through March. SBA was authorized for an additional $40 million in late March, and an additional $80 million was provided in mid-April to support the programs through May 31.

SBA’s 7[a] and 504 ARRA Transition Plan
SBA has transitioned 7[a] and 504 programs back to their pre-ARRA terms and is communicating those plans with its lending partners. As part of this plan, SBA has reactivated its Recovery Loan Queue today. The queue will operate in the same manner as when originally implemented in November 2009.

Sometimes previously approved loans are later cancelled or never disbursed for a variety of reasons, and the funds committed to those loans can be applied to applications in the queue. The queue takes this into account and, beginning on the transition date, will allow eligible small businesses -- in consultation with their lenders -- to choose to be placed in the queue for possible approval for an ARRA loan if funding once again becomes available.

Small-business owners and lenders will have transparent access to the queue via www.sba.gov/recoveryq, and will be able to remove themselves from the queue at any time to be considered for a non-ARRA SBA loan with all applicable fees and, for 7[a] loans, standard guaranty levels. Authorization for the 90 percent guarantee on 7[a] loans ends on May 31, but the authorization for fee waivers is in place through September 2010.

To learn more about SBA’s ARRA programs and other resources for small businesses, visit www.sba.gov.

GoodBiz113's Take
This timely move by SBA should provide welcome reprieve for small-business owners, whose business-development efforts have been hamstrung by a lack of capital. Now, let's just hope that lenders fully participate in the Administration's practical, well-intentioned and unprecedented efforts to promote far-reaching small-biz growth.

SOURCE: U.S. Small Business Administration
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May 10-13: SBA, AEO to Co-Sponsor National Conference to Promote Microenterprise Development and Job Creation

Expanding opportunities for entrepreneurs and small-business owners will be the focus of the 2010 National Microenterprise Conference and Training Institute, May 10-13, at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Va.

"Some of the most innovative and promising businesses across the country are microenterprises, small companies that offer significant opportunities to create jobs and strengthen the nation’s competitive edge in the global market," said Karen G. Mills, administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration. "This conference gives us the chance to bring together a broad coalition of organizations to ensure we are leveraging our resources in effective ways and making sure that these entrepreneurs and small-business owners have the tools and support they need to succeed and drive our nation’s economic recovery.”

"Our country has been, and its recovery will be, built on the enterprise of our people -- on their ideas, their energies, and their willingness to take risks and pursue their aspirations," noted Connie E. Evans, president and CEO of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity [pictured]. "Through microenterprise development, those kinds of dreams can become reality for countless numbers of people to create jobs, support their families, and revitalize our communities. This gathering represents more than a conference; it is a validation of our commitment to provide economic opportunity for those who seek to seize the promise of America through microenterprise."

Co-sponsored by SBA and AEO, the event will bring together hundreds of representatives of nonprofit institutions, government agencies, foundations and universities to promote and support small-business job creation in the U.S.

The event will focus on microenterprise development, credit building and microfinance, and will feature workshops, town hall meetings, networking opportunities, plenary sessions and speaker presentations on solving the challenges that small businesses face in order to succeed in the new economy.

Mills will be the luncheon keynote speaker on Tuesday, May 11. In addition to Mills and Evans, other confirmed speakers include:

* Robert Annibale, Global Director, Citi Microfinance & Community Relations
* James Gutierrez, Founder & CEO, Progress Financiero
* Jennifer Henderson, CEO, Strategic Decisions LLC; and Director, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream Inc. Board of Directors
* Ted Howard, Executive Director, Democracy Collaborative
* Chris Larsen, CEO, Prosper.com
* Rae-Ann Miller, Special Advisor to the Director, Division of Insurance and Research, FDIC
* Eskinder Negash, Director, Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
* Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary of Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Dept. of Labor

About SBA & AEO
SBA is an independent agency of the federal government that was created to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small-business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise, and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation.

AEO is a national membership organization and voice of microenterprise development in the United States. AEO strives to foster greater understanding of the importance of strong and effective microenterprise initiatives to the U.S. economy, and to increase capacity of the field to support underserved entrepreneurs in starting, stabilizing and establishing businesses.

For more information about the 2010 National Microenterprise Conference & Training Institute, or to register as a participant, visit http://www.microenterpriseconference.org/.

SOURCES: Association for Enterprise Opportunity [photo], U.S. Small Business Administration
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Locke, Landrieu Announce $80 Million Recovery Act Investment to Expand Broadband Internet Access and Economic Opportunities in Louisiana

Today, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke [pictured], joined by Sen. Mary Landrieu, chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, announced an $80 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act [Recovery Act] investment to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, create jobs, and improve education and health care in Louisiana.

The grant will bring high-speed Internet access to more than 80 community anchor institutions -- including universities, K-12 schools, libraries, health-care facilities -- and lay the groundwork for bringing affordable broadband service to thousands of homes and businesses in the region.

The Louisiana Broadband Alliance, a collaboration among six state agencies, plans to deploy more than 900 miles of fiber-optic network to expand broadband Internet service in some of the most economically distressed regions of Louisiana. The 3,488-square-mile service area includes 12 impoverished parishes targeted by the state’s Louisiana Delta Initiative and a separate five-parish area that is home to four federally recognized Native American Indian tribes.

The new network would connect to the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative [LONI], a 1,600-plus mile fiber-optic network that connects Louisiana and Mississippi research universities to National LambdaRail and Internet2.

"This critical investment will expand computer and high-speed Internet service access to Louisiana residents most in need, helping to make them full participants in today’s 21st-century information economy," said Locke. "We are giving the people of Louisiana new tools to educate themselves, to promote their businesses, and to create more opportunities for their families and their community."

Earlier this week, Secretary Locke announced a $1.4 million grant to the Deaf Action Center of Louisiana, to provide on-demand, cost-effective sign-language interpretation at community anchor institutions, such as hospitals, courts, public-safety agencies, shelters, schools and libraries.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s [NTIA] Broadband Technology Opportunities Program [BTOP], funded by the Recovery Act, provides grants to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure, enhance and expand public computer centers, and encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service.

"Today, we have taken a big leap in our efforts to expand high-speed Internet throughout rural Louisiana, including the Delta parishes in the northeast part of our state," said Sen. Landrieu. "Creating jobs and spurring rural small-business growth, these new funds will increase broadband capacity at our homes, schools, and hospitals to advance education, research, and health-care delivery to areas in need of modern infrastructure.

"I am thankful for the Department of Commerce’s support of this, and the many innovative projects we have going on in Louisiana to improve broadband access."

Today’s announcement marks one of the many awards that Louisiana has received -- including five broadband expansion awards totaling more than $61 million.

"The Board of Regents has committed to small-business providers in the state that in utilizing the grant dollars, we will work together with the goal of ensuring that expenditures will complement the existing infrastructure and investment they have made," said Dr. Sally Clausen, commissioner of higher education for the Board of Regents. "We extend our deepest appreciation to Sen. Landrieu and Secretary Locke for this award that will better connect our schools and their students, thus providing them with better opportunities for education and economic success.

NTIA received more than 1,800 applications proposing projects totaling nearly $19 billion during the first BTOP funding round, and is now awarding grants on a rolling basis. NTIA is currently accepting BTOP applications for a second funding round.

Applications for Public Computer Centers and Sustainable Broadband Adoption projects are accepted through March 15, 2010; and applications for Comprehensive Community Infrastructure projects are accepted through March 26, 2010.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided a total of $7.2 billion to NTIA and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service [RUS] to fund projects that will expand access to and adoption of broadband services. Of that funding, NTIA will utilize $4.7 billion for grants to deploy broadband infrastructure in the U.S., expand public computer center capacity, and encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service. NTIA will announce all grant awards by Sept. 30, 2010.

For information about broadband funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, go to: http://www.broadbandusa.gov/.

SOURCES: U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, The White House
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Kerry-Snowe Legislation Expands Venture Capital Opportunities for Small Business

Senators John Kerry [D-Mass.] and Olympia J. Snowe [R-Maine], chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, introduced two bills this week to foster more equity investment in America’s small businesses.

Yesterday, Kerry hosted a roundtable discussion with venture capital experts, business groups, venture capital firms, and successful small businesses that have received capital through government-backed private equity funds to get input on legislation to improve the Small Business Investment Company [SBIC] and New Markets Venture Capital [NMVC] programs.

“Massachusetts ranks second in the country in venture capital financings -- with more than 37,000 employed by government-backed small business investments,” said Kerry. “If not for the Small Business Investment Company program, many of these small businesses would not have access to venture capital funds. But Washington can do more to foster public-private partnerships that leverage critical venture capital for small businesses.”

“Our proposals will attract new investors to back great ideas and stimulate economic development in impoverished rural, urban and low-income areas. This will help small businesses jump-start local economies, create thousands of jobs, develop new technologies, and keep our country competitive in the global marketplace.”

“For entrepreneurs and other aspiring small-business owners, a self-evident truth since the founding of our country is that it takes money to make money,” Snowe noted. “Our legislation makes that goal a little easier for aspiring small-business owners by ensuring that our entrepreneurs have access to the resources they need, so they can continue to drive America’s economic growth and job creation.”

Since 1958, when the SBIC program was created, more than 100,000 small businesses have received $48 billion in investments. Last year, SBIC financing totaling more than $21 billion supported more than 2,000 small businesses, which employed 286,000 people.

The program was designed to help small businesses acquire venture capital through government-backed private equity funds when capital through banks and other traditional sources was not obtainable. Companies like Intel, Quiznos, Jenny Craig, Federal Express, and Outback Steakhouse are all SBIC success stories.

The Small Business Venture Capital Act of 2007 will reauthorize the SBIC program through 2010, ensuring the continued availability of needed venture capital for small firms. It will also simplify the program’s regulations, encouraging new and existing investors to increase their involvement.

Kerry and Snowe also introduced the Securing Equity for the Economic Development of Low Income Areas Act of 2007, or the SEED Act, to promote venture capital investment in rural, urban and low-income areas. The bill improves the NMVC program, which Kerry helped create in 1999.

The NMVC program was designed to promote economic development, business investment, productive wealth and stable jobs in communities where there is little to no sustainable economic activity, but many overlooked business opportunities. Unfortunately, the program expired last year.

Specifically, the SEED Act will reauthorize the program for the next three years until 2010, making it possible for the Small Business Administration to license up to 20 more NMVC funds. These funds will have the potential to leverage a total investment of $250 million in small businesses in low-income areas, with $150 million backed by the government.

Sources: U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
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Small Producers Outline Priorities for 2007 Farm Bill

The House Small Business Committee today brought together a broad cross-section of agriculture producers and rural organizations to examine the needs of small family farms and rural entrepreneurs in the upcoming debate on the 2007 Farm Bill.

Among the groups represented during the hearing:
* National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
* National Farmers Union
* National Corn Growers Association
* National Association of Wheat Growers

More than 70 percent of the nation's 2 million farms are small businesses-entrepreneurs that contribute to rural economies, and support their local communities by using the goods and services of thousands of other small firms.

"Small family farms are a critical part of rural communities, creating long-term stability and supporting entrepreneurship in the communities around them," said Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez. "We need to increase opportunity in rural areas, develop local resources, and sustain economic growth."

Many rural communities are coping with declining populations and wages, heightening the need for a comprehensive policy that creates new, more diverse economic opportunities. At the hearing, witnesses emphasized the need for high-quality economic growth. By creating an environment where small firms flourish, communities can maintain capital assets and create jobs that support rural families, including farmers.

These economic-development challenges are at the heart of the 2007 Farm Bill. It will address a wide range of issues -- such as rising energy costs, access to new markets, price supports and rural development -- that impact family farms and agribusinesses today.

Producers representing a variety of sectors within the industry discussed their priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill. Changes to the bill's commodity programs -- affecting the scope and size -- could have far-reaching effects on the competitiveness of farmers across the industry. Witnesses emphasized fruits and vegetables as potential new markets for small producers and, therefore, jobs and economic activity.

In addition to commodity programs, energy initiatives have assisted small producers, whose crops are fueling an expanding renewable energy sector. Small companies urged support for alternatives like cellulosic ethanol, and for infrastructure to further develop this booming industry where small businesses have taken the lead.

Infrastructure and other durable community resources may play a larger role in rural development discussions. Modifications to regulatory requirements, as well as the loans available in rural communities are a necessity to assisting small family farmers. These changes have the ability to create new opportunities and growth throughout rural America.

"In this year's Farm Bill, the stakes are high for small producers and agribusinesses, and it is critical that they are involved in this debate," Velázquez asserted. "Expanding markets and spurring opportunities for family farmers will help create a sustainable, prosperous future for rural areas nationwide."

The committee's assessment of the Farm Bill's impact on small producers is part of its ongoing work to promote economic development and entrepreneurship in rural America.

Last month, the committee passed the Small Energy Efficient Business Act of 2007, which offers assistance for the purchase and development of new energy technologies -- including biofuels -- through loans, education, and investment.

More than 20 agriculture trade organizations gathered at a recent Small Business Committee roundtable to discuss policies impacting small farmers and rural small businesses. The Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship has also examined the ability of broadband to promote rural economic development.

To watch video highlights from today's Farm Bill hearing on YouTube, click here.
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Freshman Rep. Heath Shuler: Broadband Critical to Rural Economic Development

As broadband reaches more areas of the country, rural and agriculture-based communities are searching for better ways to maximize its local economic development potential. On Wednesday [May 9], providers and consumers of rural telecommunications services told the U.S. House Small Business Subcommittee on Rural & Urban Entrepreneurship that, while these technologies can increase investment and employment in their communities, they are not yet being used to their full potential.

"Many rural communities across the country are struggling to remain competitive," said subcommittee Chairman Heath Shuler [D-N.C.], elected to the 110th Congress last Nov. 7. "By harnessing new technologies, we can create new opportunities, improving the way businesses -- especially, farms -- operate, and reverse this trend."

Broadband technologies have proven to be a key component of rural communities' growth and prosperity, facilitating partnerships, creating online infrastructure, and expanding the market for goods and services.

For farmers, high-speed Internet technology that helps control costs and optimize production -- such as remote temperature monitoring -- can be especially important, because the industry operates with low profit margins. Broadband can also be instrumental in creating networks of entrepreneurs that can increase employment and spur additional investment.

Although this technology has reached 99 percent of ZIP codes, these benefits are only beginning to emerge in rural America.

"As today's economy changes, so do the needs of this nation's entrepreneurs," Chairman Shuler said. "Expanding the economic benefits of broadband is one way to help this nation's farmers and rural small businesses, increase the efficiency of their operations, and, in turn, support economic growth."

During the hearing, suppliers and consumers of rural broadband outlined strategies that use this technology to expand rural economic development. These innovative community partnerships, industry co-ops and economic synergies use broadband to accelerate economic activities in creative, scalable ways.

Furthermore, witnesses identified policies that can help more areas implement these programs -- including strengthening of the Universal Service Fund and Broadband Utility Service. By reducing costs and speeding the uptake of emerging technologies, these steps will promote the expansion of community and economic development initiatives.

"As today's discussion demonstrated, broadband can transform rural communities by bringing entrepreneurs together, and connecting small-business owners to customers," said Chairman Shuler. "This technology is exciting because we are still creating the new ways to use broadband for development in districts like mine. More needs to be invested to ensure this innovation and the development it encourages to reach all Americans."

Wednesday's hearing continues the committee's examination of rural economic development issues. Last week, the committee began a series on renewable fuels, with a look at how those technologies are encouraging development in rural America.

Click here to read to prepared testimony from Wednesday's hearing.
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