SBA Newsline Eight December 2003

SBA: Empowering Entrepreneurs for over 50 Years

Thank you for taking the time to read the December 2003 edition of Newsline Eight. We hope you like our new PDF format!. 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. Over 10,000 individuals across America receive Newsline Eight. The Region Eight Office wishes you and your family a happy and safe holiday season!

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 Notes: by Mick Ringsak, Region VIII RA
Happy holidays from all of us in the Region Eight Office! The past 12 months
have been very productive months in Region Eight. During Fiscal Year 2003, our
district offices approved 3,811 loan guarantees worth over $815 million – a 21 percent
increase over FY 2002! Nearly 22,000 jobs were created or retained Region Eight
because of our loan guaranty programs. SBA continues to play a critical role in
assisting small businesses hurt by the call-up of military reservists through our
Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. Though our staffing levels have not changed over the last
four years, our dedicated employees continue to provide first-class customer service. The SBA
continues to be one of the most cost effective agencies in government in helping communities create
quality jobs and add to their tax base. Since becoming Regional Administrator, I have talked and
listened to hundreds of lenders, SBA staff members, community leaders, small business owners, and
congressional and state government representatives. This past year I held numerous Regional
Administrator Town Hall Meetings in rural communities where I received feedback on ways to better
enhance our programs and services. What have I learned? I learned that we work with a tremendous
group of dedicated individuals that are great advocates for the small business community. From the
Colorado Association of Guaranteed Lenders group in Denver, to our incredible Utah Business
Resource Network, to the Bank of North Dakota, all of us at the SBA are extremely proud of the many
enduring partnerships we have established and nurtured in our region. As Regional Administrator, I
am committed to providing the best customer service possible to all of our constituents – both internal
and external. As we enter the holiday season, I always remember how lucky I am to have a loving
family and good friends. Yes, we accomplished quite a bit during the past year. 2004 presents new
opportunities for the SBA family. The entire Region Eight office wishes you and your family a safe and
happy holiday, and a very prosperous Year 2004.
Advocacy Corner by Jim Henderson, Region VIII Advocate
COOL Regulations a Hot Issue for Small Business. A new country-of-origin
labeling (COOL) law is scheduled to take effect on September 30, 2004. The COOL
law, enacted when President Bush signed the 2002 Farm Bill last May, requires the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to draft regulations that will cover three distinct
product labeling requirements identifying regulated products as being of U.S. only
-One of Three Pages-
Page Two – Newsline Eight – December 2003
origin, foreign only origin, or of mixed origin. Growers and suppliers of covered products, including
beef, lamb, pork, fish, perishable agricultural commodities and peanuts, will have to provide food
retailers with information that will allow them to inform the consumer about the country of origin of
their products. Consumer groups have long advocated that such labeling is needed as a means of
strengthening food safety and consumer choice. The USDA, on the other hand, estimates that the
new COOL labeling provisions will cost as much as $3.9 billion to implement in the first year alone.
Any interested party should take the opportunity to comment. The USDA proposed rule can be
found in the Federal Register at 68 Fed. Reg. 61944 (October 30, 2003). The comment deadline is
December 29, 2003. Comments may be sent via e-mail to: [email protected] or sent regular mail to:
Country of Origin Labeling Program, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, 1400 Independence Ave.
– SW Stop 0249-0249 no later than December 29, 2003. Copies of the proposed rule and supporting
documents can be found at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/COOL. The Office of Advocacy has held two
roundtables this year on how small business will be affected by the COOL regulations. Advocacy
obtained economic impact data from affected industries that sell commodities covered by the
regulation. We continue to solicit input on alternatives that USDA could adopt that would both meet
the requirements of the 2002 Farm Bill and would also minimize the regulatory burden on small
entities. Advocacy will use the information derived on economic impacts and reasonable alternatives
to the rule to advance small business friendly recommendations on the proposed rule. If you have any
small business questions about USDA’s country-of-origin labeling program, please contact your local
or national industry representative. If you have a small business question about this rulemaking, or
other rulemakings related to food, drug or health policy, contact Linwood Rayford at the Office of
Advocacy: [email protected], (202) 205-6533.
The following table shows SBA Loan Guaranty activity in Region VIII during fiscal year 2003……
**Based on SBA’s Office of Advocacy estimate that one job is created or retained for each $35,000 lent to a small business
District Office Reports
Colorado – SBA to thanks its Lending and Resource Partners at an evening reception set for
December 9th. The Colorado district Office will hold its first-ever Lender/Resource Partner
Appreciation Reception in Denver on Tuesday, December 9th. This event is SBA’s way of saying
“thank you” to our many dedicated participating lenders, certified development companies, SCORE,
Mi Casa, and SBDC’s that have made Colorado one of the best states in the nation to start and grow
a small business. Without their support, the SBA’s Colorado District Office would have not meet its
.
FISCAL YEAR 2003
TOTAL 7(a) and 504
LOAN APPROVALS
GROSS LOAN
AMOUNTS
JOBS CREATED or
RETAINED **
COLORADO
1,530
$412 MILLION
11,771
MONTANA
495
$78.3 MILLION
2,237
NORTH DAKOTA
261
$57.2 MILLION
1,634
SOUTH DAKOTA
223
$41.2 MILLION
1,177
UTAH
1,172
$192.6 MILLION
5,503
WYOMING
185
$38.2 MILLION
1.091
Page Three – Newsline Eight – December 2003
many goals. Both Wells Fargo Bank and Premier Bank will be recognized as the top lenders in
Colorado. This is a business formal event. We would like to thank Dorsey Whitney Law Firm for
hosting this event, and Wells Fargo Bank and Premier Bank for providing financial support. For more
information on this reception, contact the SBA’s Jay Edwards at 303-844-2607 X 231. RSVPs are
required and space is extremely limited.
Montana – “Montana Rural Business Solutions” workshop scheduled for December in
Kalispell. On Friday, December 5th, the Montana District Office will participate in an interactive oneday
workshop for business owners in rural Montana entitled “Montana Rural Business Solutions –
Perspectives from the New Century”. Participants will learn how to finance a company using
conventional and SBA financing, how to access technical assistance from the SBA and USDA Rural
Development, and discuss issues affecting rural Montana in the 21st century. Breakout sessions will
provide participants the opportunity to interact face-to-face with experts on topics and issues of critical
importance to Montana rural business owners. The event is sponsored by the Montana World Trade
Center, SBA, and USDA Rural Development. For more information, call (406) 243-6982.
North Dakota – “Marketplace of Ideas” conference to be held Thursday, January 15th at the
Alerus Center in Grand Forks. Marketplace is an annual conference that highlights the best-of-thebest
ideas relating to entrepreneurial and economic Development. This event is hosted by U.S.
Senator Kent Conrad and North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson. This one-day
conference offers information booths, classes, and experts presentations on topics tailored to North
Dakota’s special business needs. For more information on this event, please contact the SBA’s
Marlene Koenig at (701) 239-5131.
South Dakota — The Sioux Falls SCORE Chapter to present its “How to Really Start Your
Own Business” workshop on Saturday, December 13th from 8:30 am to 2:30 am at the Ramkota
Inn, 2400 N. Louise Avenue (I-29 at Russell Street – Exit 81) in Sioux Falls. This workshop will cover
topics such as Marketing, Business Plans, Cash Flow/Financial Projections, and sources of
assistance. A Roundtable Discussion by local business owners will culminate the day. Cost per
person is $40.00, which includes materials and lunch, and $20.00 for each additional associate. Call
the Sioux Falls SCORE office at (605) 330-4243, Ext. 43 for more information and to register.
Utah– Annual Holiday Open House scheduled for December 11th. The Utah District Office
will hold its annual Holiday Open House on Thursday, December 11th from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm at the
SBA office – 125 South State Street, Room 2404 in the SLC Federal Building. The SB employees are
pleased to host this holiday event with homemade treats to thank partners, clients, lenders and
friends. For more information, please call the SBA’s Georgia Yoshida at (801) 524-3217.
Wyoming – “Women to Women Festival” scheduled for January 31st in Gillette. SBA to have
a booth at the seventh annual “Women to Women Festival” scheduled for January 31st at the
Campbell County High School South Campus – Commons Area in Gillette. Over 50 information
booths and 20 different seminars are expected at this event. Many of the booths and seminars will
highlight business information for women entrepreneurs. One of the festival highlights is the Girl
Scouts’ “Woman of Distinction” award presentation. For more information on this event please
contact the SBA’s Deb Farris at (307) 261-6509.
If you have any questions about Newsline Eight or would like your name removed from the
Newsline VIII Fax list, contact Chris Chavez at (303) 844-0501 or [email protected]
SBA’s Website can be found at http://www.sba.gov

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. Would you like more information on how your firm can export? Dennis Chrisbaum can give you information on lenders in your area that do export loans! Tell him you heard it on Newsline Eight.
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