RAPID CITY – On April 29-30, U.S. Small Business Administration Deputy Administrator Dilawar Syed, traveled to Rapid City, South Dakota for the first stop on his 2024 National Small Business Week (NSBW) roadshow. During his visit, Deputy Administrator Syed joined the SBA Region VIII Administrator and SBA SD District Office leadership and team for several NSBW outreach events.
On April 29, Deputy Administrator Syed began his day at a Native American Small Business Roundtable, at Black Hills Community Loan Fund, a SBA 7(j) Empower to Grow resource partner, where he heard directly from representatives from several South Dakota Tribes about the challenges and opportunities that Indigenous entrepreneurs face. Following the roundtable, Deputy Administrator Syed toured South Dakota’s 2020 Veteran-Owned Small Business of the year, VRC Metals, LLC, in Box Elder, SD. The Deputy Administrator met with business owner and retired military officer Rob Hrabe to learn about VRC Metals’ unique cold-spray metal working technology which has military, commercial and industrial applications.
On April 30, Deputy Administrator Syed visited Black Hills State University’s Rapid City Campus for a special National Small Business Week Contracting and Exporting Seminar, where he delivered keynote remarks and presented NSBW awards to statewide winners. Following the awards ceremony, the Deputy Administrator traveled to a nearby Native American-owned manufacturing small business, Jewelry by DeCory, which designs, produces, and retails metal cast jewelry.
For follow-up interview requests for Deputy Administrator Syed, please contact Teddy Lake at theodora.lake@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, 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.