NEWSRELEASE
For Release: July 11, 2005
Contact: John McDowell, (202) 205-6941
john.mcdowell@sba.gov
SBA Number: 05-33 ADVO
Press Kit
Experienced State And Local Government Official Ray Marchiori Joins Advocacy As Regional Advocate
Will Work With Small Businesses, Trade Associations, Legislators, Local Governments
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Experienced state and local government official Ray Marchiori today joins the Office of Advocacy as Regional Advocate for the federal governments Region V, covering Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. He will be the direct link between small business owners, state and local government agencies, state legislators, small business associations, and the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
Ray Marchiori is a great addition to President Bushs small business team, said Thomas M. Sullivan, Chief Counsel for Advocacy. His experience in all levels of government - local, state, and federal - and his family background in small business will allow him to immediately help small business owners combat overly burdensome government regulations.
Marchiori has extensive local, state, and federal government experience. Most recently, he was Chief of Staff at the Rural Development/Rural Utilities Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. There he focused on the Presidents Rural Broadband Deployment Initiative and the Rural Utilities Service management plan. Previously he served as a Commissioner of the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, the Executive Director of the DuPage County (IL) Workforce Board and worked in both the legislative and executive branches of Illinois state government.
Marchiori grew up working in his familys restaurant, which his mother still runs in Hennepin, IL. In high school he started a small business that helped pay for his education at Northern Illinois University.
I am excited to be able to use my governmental experience and small business background to promote policies that strengthen entrepreneurs, said Marchiori. I look forward to being a part of the Office of Advocacy and to the opportunity to bring the concerns of small business owners in Region V to Washington, D.C.
Regional Advocates help identify new issues and concerns of small business owners. They also monitor the impact of federal and state policies on small business at the local level. They work closely with local government officials, state officials, legislators, and the Chief Counsel for Advocacy to develop programs and policies that reduce regulation and promote small business growth.
For more information, call Ray Marchiori at (312) 353-8614 or visit the Office of Advocacy website at www.sba.gov/advo
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The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent voice for small business within the federal government. The presidentially appointed Chief Counsel for Advocacy advances the views, concerns, interests of small business before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, federal courts, and state policy makers. For more information, visit www.sba.gov/advo, or call (202) 205-6533.