SBA: 50 Years as America’s Small Business Resource- State Updates

Thank you for taking the time to read the March 2003 edition of Newsline Eight. Newsline Eight is the monthly newsletter from the SBA’s Region Eight Office in Denver. Our office covers the states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. This month, Mick Ringsak discusses SBA’s FY 2003 budget. Over 10,000 individuals across America receive Newsline Eight.

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If you have any questions, please contact the Region Eight Office at 303-844-0501.

Mick Ringsak, Regional Administrator

Jim Henderson, Regional Advocate

Chris Chavez, Regional Communications Director

2003 has been proclaimed the "Year of the Exporter" in Region VIII.

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Newsline Eight

Volume 9 – Issue 3 Contact: Chris Chavez ([email protected])
March 2003 Phone: (303) 844-0501/Fax 844-0506

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

Regional Administrator’s Comments by Mick Ringsak

SBA lifts the $500,000 loan cap – loan volume to reach $9.4 billion in FY 2003. On Tuesday, February 25th SBA Administrator Hector V. Barreto lifted a 5-month cap on SBA-backed loans and invited participating lenders to resume submitting applications for guaranteed loans up to the $2 million statutory limit. The decision was made possible by President Bush’s signing the recently adopted legislation that allows the agency to implement its revised econometric subsidy model, which more accurately forecasts the actual costs of the 7(a) loan program. The model will be applied retroactively to the beginning of the current fiscal year. The econometric model, in combination with appropriation levels provided in the FY 2003 budget, will allow the agency to approve more than $9.4 billon in 7(a) loans during the current year, plus $1.8 billon in STAR loans that have already been made.

SBA’s FY 2003 budget has been signed by the President and it will enable SBA to provide up to $21 billion in credit and venture capital to small businesses. The total FY 2003 budget approved by Congress amounts to $736.46 million, compared to an FY 2002 budget of $741.5 million. The budget also provides $9.4 billion for the 7(a) guaranteed loan program (assuming that S. 141 is signed into law, allowing implementation of the econometric model); $4.5 billion for the Certified Development Company (504) loan program, which is funded entirely by participant fees; $7 billion for the Small Business Investment Company program, which is funded entirely by participant fees; $31 million for the Microloan program, including about $4.5 million in carryover from FY 2002 and $15 million for grants to Microlenders to pay for technical assistance to their borrowers. The new budget also provides $89 million for the Small Business Development Center program; $12.5 million for Women’s Business Centers; $5 million for the SCORE program; $5 million for the PRIME program, which provides funding to non-profit organizations that provide technical assistance to disadvantaged micro-entrepreneurs; $2 million for the BusinessLINC program; $1.5 million for 7(j) technical assistance, which is provided to participants in the 8(a) Business Development program, and $475,000 for the Business Information Center program.

SBA LAUNCHES ONLINE EMPLOYEE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER APPLICATION

Small businesses could save hundreds of millions of dollars by using a new Internet-based system that will allow them to register their business at the state level and apply for and receive their Federal

Employer Identification Number at the same time.

The new application can be found at http://businesslaw.gov/template.cfm?catid=10044, by clicking on Integrated State Register & Federal EIN Application. ingle face of government"nline,d y for their Employer Identification Number, EIN, onlinel mun ideas for potential agreement of The new service was developed by the SBA in partnership with the IRS through a contract with EzGov, a major e-government technology provider. The Internet-based process will save both time and close to $200 million for the more than four million small businesses that apply annually in a manual process. The SBA online application will streamline the state and federal application processes by automating the exchange of applicant data between states and the federal government. Because it is built with a Web services interface, any participating state can quickly and easily offer a seamless state registration and federal EIN tool that, in addition to saving time and money, reduces the burden to the business owner.

The Regional Advocate’s Corner by Jim Henderson

FCC Needs to Consider Impact of Its Rulemaking on Small Carriers. In the long road to deregulation of the telecommunications industry, creating competition for local telephone services has been a painfully perplexing problem. On February 5, 2003 the

Office of Advocacy filed a letter commenting on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) review of the Baby Bell’s obligations to make portions of their networks (such as switching and transport) available to competitive carriers at predetermined rates. Competitive carriers (often small businesses) depend on these network elements to gain entry into the local telephone market. Recent press reports suggest that the FCC may make key network elements unavailable to small carriers. This would force many small competitive carriers from the local telephone market at a time when it is finally becoming a reality. If FCC moves in this direction, the Office of Advocacy believes that the FCC’s initial regulatory flexibility analysis is inadequate. The Office of Advocacy recommends that the FCC issue a supplemental proposed rulemaking. By performing a revised initial regulatory flexibility analysis, small competitive carriers would have the opportunity to comment on all the elements of the proposed rule. To learn more, please go to http://www.sba.gov/advoc/comments/.

District Office Reports

Colorado
– Regulatory Fairness Board Hearing to be held March 27th in Denver – from 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm – at the Denver Public Library Conference Room, Central Library, 10 West 14th Avenue Parkway, Denver, CO 80204. 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. 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 the SBA’s Jay Edwards at (303) 844-2607 X 231 for more information.

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Advertisers needed! The SBA and The Denver Business Journal are sponsoring this year’s "SBA: 50 Years as America’s Small Business Resource" special insert to be run May 23rd in The Denver Business Journal. We need sponsors for this insert. Both corporate and small businesses are encouraged to purchase ads. Support the small business community by calling Brad Segura at (303) 837-3500.

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Montana

– Governor’s Conference on Food Manufacturing & Marketing to be held March 10th in Helena. The goal of the 2003 Governor’s Conference on Food Manufacturing & Marketing is to continue to improve the viability of Montana’s high quality crops, livestock and value-added products. Opportunities such as emerging niche markets and global export markets will be discussed.

Also discussed will be business tools such as accounting, pricing and financing. Attendees will also learn more about product marketing and promotion, including marketing plans, product branding and logo development from expert presenters in the field. The conference will be held in Helena on Monday, March 10th, at the Red Lion Inn (formerly WestCoast Colonial Hotel). For more details on this event, contact the Montana Department of Agriculture at (406) 444-2402.

North Dakota

– "Small Business Loan Clinic-Your Prescription for Small Business Health" to be held March 19th in Sioux Falls. This FREE business check-up is designed to inform entrepreneurs about the basics of small business financing. Gain a "healthy" new outlook on the key terms & sources of funds, the five C’s of credit, banker’s questions, developing & maintaining a good banking relationship, and loan proposals. Our goal is to better prepare you to meet with bankers to increase your probability of securing the capital needed to start or expand your business. Bring your own lunch – we’ll provide the coffee. This clinic will be held March 19th from noon to 1:00 pm in the SBA’s Small Business Resource Center, 51 Broadway, Suite 505, in Sioux Falls. For more information, contact the SBA’s Alan Haut at (701) 239-5048.

South Dakota

– "Expanding Your Business Potential" procurement fair to be held Tuesday, March 25th, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Best Western Ramkota in Sioux Falls. A series of workshops will be held throughout the day relating to doing business with the government. Learn how to contract with federal, state and local government agencies. Representatives from each level of government will be on hand to answer questions one-on-one. Discussions will center on prime contractor needs, purchasing opportunities and procedures, and the needs and opportunities available in supply and construction. The registration fee is $25.00 for one company representative, $40.00 for two, and each additional representative is an additional $20.00 — which includes lunch. For more information, and to register, please contact the SBA’s Jan Camp at (605) 330-4243, ext. 30.

Utah

– "Inventions to Commercialization Conference" to be held March 19th-20th

at the Union Building on the University of Utah campus in SLC. This conference is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs and inventors to meet investors, venture capitalists, and Federal Program Coordinators to create teams and develop relationships that will aid in the commercialization of new technologies. The SBA will participate in the Utah Engineering Experiment Station’s "Innovation Showcase" which will highlight financing options for R&D firms. The showcase and reception will be held on March 19th from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, and the "Inventions to Commercialization Conference" will be held on March 20th. For more information on this event, please call the SBA’s Georgia Yoshida at (801) 524-3217.

Wyoming

– "Young Entrepreneur Workshop" to be held April 11th and 12th at the Casper College, College Center, Room 217. This event targets local Casper high school students interested in entrepreneurship. The registration fee is $10 per person, which includes snacks and lunch. This workshop is limited to 44 students. Students will learn about the elements of a business plan from local business owners and community leaders. In breakout sessions, students will create their own business plan on a fictitious business and that plan will be judged by a panel of business leaders. The winning group will receive $500 in cash prizes. For more information on this event, please call the SBA’s Sharon Nichols at (307) 261-6500.