HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – On Friday, July 26th, SBA Deputy Administrator Dilawar Syed visited Hollywood and West Palm Beach, Florida to engage with local government officials and community stakeholders impacted by recent storms and flooding, discuss disaster resilience and preparedness during this hurricane season, and visit local childcare centers alongside U.S. Congresswoman Lois Frankel.
Deputy Administrator Syed led a roundtable with the Mayors of Hollywood and Hallandale Beach, other local leaders, disaster-impacted small business owners, and SBA resource partners to discuss how the SBA can foster both resilience and recovery in the face of more frequent extreme weather driven by climate change. Syed discussed the Biden-Harris Administration and SBA’s relief efforts for small businesses and individuals affected by severe storms and flooding across South Florida on June 11-14.
Following the roundtable discussion, Deputy Administrator Syed joined Congresswoman Lois Frankel for visits to two local childcare businesses. The first childcare center, Learning Wonderland Preschool, is located in Palm Springs and is owned and operated by Yakov and Alina Shubov. The couple started their business 8 years ago with an SBA-guaranteed loan and have grown their preschool into a thriving community hub in recent years. Deputy Administrator Syed and Congresswoman Frankel then visited Super Kidz of West Palm Beach, owned and operated by Omega Footman-Velez. With help from the SBA, Footman-Velez had the opportunity to fund a second location of their business, which the leaders toured on Friday. Small businesses are essential to the childcare ecosystem in America, with more than 95% of all childcare providers being small businesses.
For follow-up interview requests for Deputy Administrator Syed, please contact Teddy Lake at theodora.lake@sba.gov
# # #
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.