Ralph Ross, Deputy District Director since 2004 for the SBA North Florida District Office in Jacksonville, is the new SBA Kentucky District Office Director.  Mr. Ross will replace Mr. Steve Ayers, who retired in July 2011.

Mr. Ross has had a long and distinguished career with SBA.  He has come up through the ranks and has worked as an expert in both the Commercial Lending and Government Contracting sides of the Agency. In Minnesota he was Chief of Portfolio Management and Liquidation in one of SBA’s high-volume Commercial Lending Programs.  In the North Florida District Office, Ross helped manage a disadvantaged business development program that accepted over $500 million in Section 8(a) contracts last year for 200 active 8(a) firms.

Ross is enthused about the opportunities to use SBA’s programs in Kentucky: “For over 50 years, the SBA has been all about starting and expanding small enterprises. This is not easy work, but we have some talented people in the Kentucky SBA office who are dedicated to making Kentucky a more prosperous place. What is special about Kentucky is that 75% of our people live in smaller communities.  These are the kinds of communities where entrepreneurship flourishes. Whether it’s our lending, counseling or government contracting programs, we work with one entrepreneur at a time, and we are here to help.”

Mr. Ross is also an attorney, was licensed to practice law in Minnesota, and has been an editor for several law book publishing companies.  He recently married a high-school sweetheart, and they will be at home in the Highlands neighborhood of Louisville.

Ralph Ross has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from the University of Iowa and holds a Juris Doctor Degree from The William Mitchell College of Law.