Interagency

As part of the White House’s Startup America initiative, senior Obama Administration officials will visit eight cities to meet with entrepreneurs and hear directly from them on ideas and suggestions for reducing barriers and regulations to build a more supportive environment for entrepreneurship and innovation.  

In January, President Obama issued an Executive Order instructing federal agencies to identify and take steps to reduce regulations that are outdated or overly burdensome to entrepreneurs. This roundtable series builds on that directive and is part of the Administration’s overall Startup America efforts to support for startups and entrepreneurs with tools and resources to grow America’s economy and win the future.

Lenders who participate in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Preferred Lender Program can approve loans through the agency’s new Small Loan Advantage program beginning Feb. 15. At the same time, the agency will begin accepting applications from community-based, mission-focused lenders who are interested in making SBA-guaranteed loans through the new Community Advantage program.

Both the Small Loan Advantage and Community Advantage programs were announced in December as part of the agency’s efforts to increase the number of lower dollar loans being made to small businesses and entrepreneurs in underserved communities.

Advocacy Strongly Supports Focus on Small Business

Chief Counsel for Advocacy Winslow Sargeant praised President Obama’s efforts on behalf of small business following the President’s signing Executive Order, “On Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review.” The executive order requires federal agencies to review and remove outdated regulations and, where consistent with law, consider the costs and benefits of a regulation and choose the least burdensome path.  

The fourth annual Americas Competitiveness Forum (ACF) will be held in Atlanta, Georgia on November 14-16, 2010.  The ACF brings together national leaders from the public and private sectors for high-level discussions on regional competitiveness and innovation, as it relates to business ventures, economic development and trade.  This year’s theme for the ACF program is “Building a Prosperous and Sustainable Future for the Americas.” 

The forum will primarily focus on green technologies, education and workforce development, entrepreneurship, small business development and trade facilitation. More than 1,000 leaders from the 34 nations of the Western Hemisphere will join Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke, in sharing new ideas on how to improve business in a variety of industries. 

Also joining Secretary Gary Locke at the ACF is David A. Hinson, national director and Alejandra Castillo, national deputy director for the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA).  Both leaders will leverage the event to promote business-to-business opportunities between U.S. minority-owned firms and small and medium sized enterprises outside the United States.