LAS VEGAS – On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, the voice in President Biden’s Cabinet for America’s 33 million small businesses, visited Las Vegas, NV to meet with area entrepreneurs and participate in a panel discussion as part of the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 CelebrASIAN conference.
Administrator Guzman began her visit to Las Vegas with a stop at Mothership Coffee Roasters on Fremont St. to meet with the owner, Juanny Romero, who was recently named the Nevada Small Business Person of the Year and the National Small Business Person of the Year Runner-Up by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Administrator Guzman congratulated Ms. Romero, received a brief tour of the location, and discussed the importance of supporting woman- and AANHPI-owned small businesses like Mothership Coffee. While Asian American, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) make up 6.2% of the U.S. population, they punch above their weight by owning 8.4% of all small businesses, totaling 2.6 million businesses.
Later in the day, Administrator Guzman participated in a fireside chat as part of the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce’s CelebrASIAN 2023 event, occurring at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort. She mentioned agency resources available to both new and current small business owners, provided an overview on federal government contracting opportunities, discussed how the SBA continues to expand its interpretation and language services, and reaffirmed the SBA’s commitment to stand against discrimination faced by AANHPI entrepreneurs. Administrator Guzman also highlighted recent actions by the Biden-Harris Administration to expand access to capital for historically underserved communities. In 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration and the SBA delivered over 1,000 loans through its flagship 504 loan program to AANHPI-owned small businesses to the total of $1.5 billion, along with 5,600 loans through its 7(a) Program totaling $5.3 billion, and 165 micro-loans totaling $3.7 billion.
For follow-up interview requests for Administrator Guzman, please contact Mila Myles at mila.myles@sba.gov.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. 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, 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.