Press release MA22-31

SBA Administrator Guzman and U.S. Senator Jack Reed to Visit Rhode Island Businesses to Highlight Buying American-Made

Providence, RI – On Wednesday, July 6, Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice for America’s 32.5 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, will visit Rhode Island. Administrator Guzman will join Senator Reed to tour three local businesses to highlight the role small businesses play in fueling our nation’s historic economic recovery and the importance of buying American-made products to continue building a strong and stable economy.

Administrator Guzman will also be joined on the tour by SBA New England Regional Administrator Mike Vlacich and Rhode Island District Director Mark S. Hayward. They will visit O&G Studio in Warren, a manufacturer of furniture that received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), and other SBA assistance. They will then visit Taylor Box on Child Street, a Warren manufacturer who makes premium paperboard packaging and has been in business since 1885. Following the small business visits, Administrator Guzman and Senator Reed will hold a small business roundtable at Hope & Main, a food incubator famous for helping small businesses start and survive.

MEDIA RSVP: 

Send RSVP to Elizabeth Moisuk at elizabeth.moisuk@sba.gov with a reporter’s name and press outlet. Additionally, one-on-one interviews with Administrator Guzman may be requested. 

WHEN: 

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

WHERE: 

9:30 a.m. O&G Studio’s 30 Cutler Street, Warren, Rhode Island

10:25 a.m. Taylor Box, Child Street, Warren, Rhode Island

11:10 a.m. Hope & Main, Main Street, Warren, Rhode Island

WHO:

  • Honorable Isabella Casillas Guzman, SBA Administrator
  • Honorable Jack Reed, U.S. Senator – Rhode Island
  • Michael “Mike” Vlacich, New England Regional Administrator, SBA
  • Mark S. Hayward, Rhode Island District Director, SBA
  • Dale Venturini, President, Rhode Island Hospitality Association
  • Jonathan Glatt, Owner; Katie Buchanan, Operations Director, O&G Studios
  • Dan Shedd, President, Taylor Box
  • Lisa Raolia, Founder & President, Hope and Main

 

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.