READOUT: SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman Celebrates National Veterans Small Business Week with Visits to College Park, Maryland, and Syracuse, New York
November 05 2021 - 12:33PM
Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA), this week marked National Veterans
Small Business Week, delivering remarks at the grand openings of
the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) at the University of
Maryland, and the National Veterans Resource Center (VRC) hosted by
the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse
University.
“America’s service members, veterans, and military spouses
represent the best qualities of our nation’s entrepreneurial spirit
including resiliency, determination, and fortitude,” said
Administrator Guzman. “During National Veterans Small Business
Week and throughout the year, SBA is proud to support our nation’s
veterans and military families at all stages of their
entrepreneurial journey. As we celebrate their many contributions
this week, I was honored to help open these impactful new
facilities to support more of America’s veterans and military
families as they launch new companies, create jobs, grow
enterprises and realize their entrepreneurial dreams.”
During the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of the
Mid-Atlantic VBOC at the University of Maryland-College Park,
Administrator Guzman joined Senator Cardin, Chairman of the U.S.
Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, to tour
the new center and meet with Maryland veteran small business owners
and local elected officials.
“I was very proud to begin National Veterans Small Business Week
by celebrating the opening of Maryland’s first VBOC,” said
Senator Cardin. “I thank SBA for this investment, which will
increase Maryland’s capacity to service the region’s veterans and
transitioning service members.”
Later in the week, Administrator Guzman traveled to Syracuse,
New York, to attend the building dedication and ribbon-cutting
ceremony for the new VRC under the Institute for Veterans and
Military Families. There, she joined J. Michael Haynie,
Vice-Chancellor, Strategic Initiatives & Innovation at Syracuse
University for a tour of the new building and met with local
officials and veteran small business owners.
“We are honored to continue our longstanding partnership with
the SBA and thrilled we could host Administrator Guzman during not
only National Veterans Small Business Week but during the building
dedication of Syracuse University’s brand-new National Veterans
Resource Center,” said Mike Haynie, Vice Chancellor for
Strategic Initiatives & Innovation, and IVMF’s Founder and
Executive Director. “The recent news naming the IVMF as
one of the national Community Navigator Pilot Program grantees is
truly exciting for us, our partners, and the thousands of veterans
and military families we serve every year. Over the last decade, we
have developed a vast network of partners dedicated to meeting the
unique needs of veterans and military-connected families both on
our campus and across the
country.”
The Institute of Veterans and Military Families recently
received a grant from the new Community Navigator Pilot Program, an
American Rescue Plan initiative. The Community Navigator Pilot
Program will provide $100 million in funding to 51 organizations
that will work with hundreds of local groups to connect America’s
entrepreneurs to government resources so they can recover and
thrive.
###
About the U.S. Small Business
Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream
of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and
voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal
government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business
owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or
expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It
delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices
and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn
more, visit www.sba.gov.
- National Veterans Small Business Week
- National Veterans Small Business Week
SBA Press Office
United States Small Business Administration
Press_Office@sba.gov