SBA Newsline Eight- Volume 9 – Issue 1

SBA’s Monthly News Update
-Serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming-

Newsline Eight is circulated to our resource and lending partners by SBA’s Region Eight Office

721 19th Street, Suite 400, Denver, Colorado 80202.

Elton W. Ringsak, Regional Administrator

James R. Henderson, Regional Advocate

Christopher Chavez, Regional Communications Director

From the Desk of Mick Ringsak…. Region Eight RA

2003 will be a banner year at the SBA! Can you believe it, this is the ninth year that we have produced Newsline Eight. Since 1993, over 100,000 people have read our regional office newsletter. I am excited about the coming year, and the role SBA will play in our region. 2003 is the start of our national 50th anniversary celebration. It was in 1953 that President Eisenhower signed the legislation creating the U.S Small Business Administration. Since that time, our agency has helped millions of entrepreneurs across America start, grow, and expand their business. This New Year brings a new enthusiasm to the work we do here at the SBA. Working with our district offices, I hope to bring a number of new initiatives to the forefront that will help our small business customers in a positive way. My goal for the coming year is to increase the quality of service SBA provides its customers, identify communities within my region that still have not felt our presence, take the goals and mission statement our Administrator Hector Barreto has outlined and implement those throughout my region, and listen – you heard me right – just listen to what you, our customer, has to say about our programs and services. By working together in the coming 12 months, there is nothing that we can not achieve. Some of these initiatives include:

1. 50th anniversary celebrations and events to be held in every state in Region Eight

2. A TV/Print media blitz that will begin region wide in the coming months

3. 2003 will the Year of the Exporter in Region Eight. An emphasis will be made to educate the small business community about the benefits of exporting.

4. A new Region Eight rural outreach plan will be unveiled to target those businesses located in rural communities in our geographical area.

5. A new Region VIII Customer Survey will be conducted in all six states to determine the level of customer satisfaction in our region.

6. I hope to once again visit every district office in our six states to determine their needs and needs of the small business community. There is a possibility that we will initiate a series of Regional Administrator Town hall Meetings to assess the impact of our programs and services in our states.

The Regional Advocate’s Corner by Jim Henderson

Advocacy Proposes Model Legislation – Federal Law Has Saved Billions, State Laws Expected To Do Same. Small business will save billions in foregone regulatory compliance costs should states enact model legislation recently unveiled by Thomas M. Sullivan, Chief Counsel for Advocacy. In mid-December at the American Legislative Exchange Council’s States and Nation Policy Summit, Sullivan introduced the model legislation which is patterned after the federal Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA). That act encourages entrepreneurial success by requiring federal agencies to consider their impact on small business before they issue final regulations. Under RFA the Office of Advocacy saved small business owners over $4 billion in foregone regulatory compliance costs last year alone. We did that by bringing the voice of small business to federal agencies early in the regulatory process. The same thing can happen in the states if they adopt this model legislation.

When state agencies become sensitive to the impact of their regulations on small business, they can ensure that funds, which would have been spent on overly burdensome new regulations, are instead available for hiring new employees, purchasing new equipment, and making other investments. Under this legislation state agencies can still to be sure to meet their regulatory needs while providing vital flexibility in the regulatory process for small business owners.

The Office of Advocacy reviewed the state laws for each of the six states in Region VIII. The analysis found that none of these states has regulatory flexibility legislation on their books. I am seeking small business association leaders, small business owners and state legislators to champion this model legislation on behalf of their small business communities. If you are interested in helping or if you want more information, call Jim Henderson, Regional Advocate at (303) 844-0503 or visit the Office of Advocacy website at http://www.sba.gov/advo.

Regulatory Fairness Board Hearing to be held January 14th in Utah – from 9:30 am to noon – at the SBA’s Utah District Office, 125 South State Street, Room 2222, Salt Lake City. Representatives from SBA’s Office of the National Ombudsman will meet with community leaders, members of trade and business associations and small business owners to discuss concerns about federal regulatory compliance and enforcement in the region. The National Ombudsman office works directly with federal regulatory agencies to foster a more cooperative regulatory environment between agencies and small businesses that is less punitive and more solution-oriented. Informal discussion at this roundtable will help bring to light concerns that could be aired in a Regulatory Fairness (RegFair) Hearing. Presentations at this roundtable, along with comments and concerns filed with the Office of the National Ombudsman, are used to prepare an annual report to Congress on the federal regulatory enforcement environment and its impact on small business. Call (801) 524-3217 for more information or to reserve a spot.

District Office Reports

Colorado – Jay Edwards named Public Information Officer for Colorado. Jay comes to us from the SBA’s Long Island Branch Office in New York. Originally from Sacramento, California, a graduate of the California University System he became a manager for a national retail chain store. Jay started his own computer firm which was sold in 1997.

Colorado District Office to host a Women’s Business Ownership Finance Workshop on Thursday, January 30th, 9:00a.m. to 11:00a.m., at the Denver Federal Center, GSA, Building 41. This workshop targets women entrepreneurs that currently own a business, or wish to start one in the very near future. For more information, call the SBA’s Jeanette Deherrera at 303-844-2607 x226.

Montana — Eighth Annual Small Business Opportunities Conference to be held February 11 – 12th in Billings. The goal of this conference is to help business owners identify upcoming government contracts. With over 300 participants expected, there will be ample opportunities to network and participate in training sessions throughout the day. Representatives from large prime contractors will be on hand to discuss their contracting needs during 2003. The conference will be held at the Billing Hotel and Convention Center and is sponsored by the Montana Procurement Technical Assistance Center and the entire Montana Congressional delegation. To register, contact the Montana Procurement Technical Assistance Center at (406) 256-6877.

North Dakota – "Marketplace of Ideas" to be held Thursday, January 16, 2003 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks. The theme of this year’s event is "Find an Opportunity, Build Your Income".

Marketplace of Ideas is a collaborative effort to develop home-based businesses, small businesses, agricultural diversification, value-added agriculture, information technology, new business ideas, marketing skills and stronger communities. Often described as "a supermarket of ideas, information and resources," Marketplace is also a showcase of innovation, a public forum, a classroom and much more. To register, call Marilyn Kipp, Executive Director at (701) 663-0150 or 1-888-384-8410.

South Dakota – "Business Sense Workshop" series begins anew in 2003! Sponsored by the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Council – in cooperation with the SBDC, SCORE, SBA and the Women’s Business Institute – this workshop series provides business owners and their employees with practical information on how to improve the way they do business in today’s competitive environment. All workshops are one-hour and are "Brown Bag" – bring your own lunch. Seating is limited so registration is encouraged. The workshops will be held every Tuesday at noon during the month of January at the University of Sioux Falls Stewart Center. Cost is $8 per person, per workshop, or $30 per person for the entire series of workshops. For more information, or to register, contact the Sioux Falls Area Chamber at (605) 336-1620.

Utah – First Annual Business and Economic Summit to be held February 21st at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. Hosted by U.S. Senator Bob Bennett and the David Eccles School of Business, this one-day conference will provide participants with a regional and national economic forecast targeted to the small business community. David Neeleman, CEO, JetBlue Airways, will keynote the summit’s luncheon. Attendees will also learn how to understand and identify financing options in the current capital market; learn how to sell products to government and educational institutions; learn how to put technology to work for their business; formalize strategies for growth and profitability; and learn how to increase sales through online auctions. A registration fee of $40.00 includes breakfast, lunch and breakout sessions. For more information, contact Jared Perry of Senator Bennett’s Salt Lake staff at (801) 524-5933 or register on-line at http://www.summit.utah.edu.

Wyoming – SBDC Business Counselor Training Program 2003 Session. Prospective business counselors from across Wyoming will participate in a "SBDC Business Counselor Training" workshop which will be held in various locations across Wyoming. The curriculum used for the certification process includes 12 modules of the most requested training topics by professional counselors. The curriculum was developed by the Florida Small Business Development Center Network. It has been used in 24 states as well as Canada and Poland. It is highly acclaimed for its thoroughness and effectiveness. There are ten days of classroom training with additional assignments for nights and weekends. The class sessions start in Casper on January 22nd and conclude in Laramie in May. For information, please contact the Wyoming SBDC at (307) 766-3505.

Contact: Chris Chavez ([email protected])
January 2003 Phone: (303) 844-0501/Fax 844-0506