Small Business Association

The California Small Business Association and Roundtable recently recognized three legislators as its Small Business Legislators of the Year.

Winners are chosen annually for their efforts to promote small business survival and participation

�All three of this year�s winners have taken significant efforts to listen to the small business community,� said Betty Jo Toccoli, president of the association and chair of the roundtable.

Winners are nominated by leaders of the association and selected by a vote from the group�s legislative council composed of 1,600 small business owners. In most cases, the winners of the vote then go back to group administrators for a final interview before receiving the award.

Ms. Toccoli said other award standards require that the legislator hold a small business advisory council and participate in the state-recognized Small Business Day in May in order to be eligible for the award.

SBA loans available to help businesses impacted by the drought

ATLANTA - Some help, in the form of low-interest loans, is on the way for businesses in Georgia adversely impacted by the drought. The Small Business Association l(SBA) loans are available because the SBA issued disaster declarations in several states affected by the drought. �We felt it was important to inform businesses such as landscapers, marinas, motels and others that are experiencing a loss of income due to the drought that they can apply for an economic injury disaster loan to help with their working capital needs,� said Frank Skaggs, Director of SBA Field Operations Center East. �Typically farm related businesses such as produce packagers, implement dealers and suppliers are aware of these disaster loans, but other types of small businesses may not realize they are eligible to apply.

Exchange in breif

COMING MONDAY: A silk-screening business was the key to combining creativity with commerce for one local man.

Contact: 447-5590; mail checks to P.O.

Washington in brief

A small-business contracting bill that would do no harm to tribal and Alaska Native interests under the Small Business Administration's Native 8(a) contracting program passed the House of Representatives Oct. 30, and a Senate version progressed before the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Nov. 7. The Senate bill seeks to expand the pie for all small-business contractors, especially focusing on women and service-disabled veterans.

The program has been under a microscope for two years as Native 8(a) contracts have risen along with total 8(a) contracts.

Karen Atkinson, executive director of the Native American Contractors Association, said the prognosis is fairly good for getting a bill into law that would enhance minority business contracting generally.

Small business center helped to create 453 jobs

Delaware's Small Business Development Center is credited with having a positive impact on the state economy, according to the recently released Association of Small Business Development Centers Impact Study.Statistics from the study show the Delaware SBDC helped create 453 full-time jobs and assisted in retaining 194 jobs.The local SBDC helps generate $1.96 in tax revenue for every $1 spent on the program. For each dollar spent on the SBDC program, it was leveraged into $5.94 of public and private financing.The study also concluded that, in percentage terms, SBDC clients' increase in sales was higher than the increase in sales experienced by other comparable Delaware businesses, a remarkable 33 percent compared to 6.1 percent.In terms of satisfaction, 95 percent of Delaware Small Business Development Center clients said they would recommend the SBDC services to other business owners.