SBA SAYS HURRICANE SANDY LOAN APPROVALS EXCEED $1 BILLION

FROM: U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
SBA Hurricane Sandy Loan Approvals Surpass $1 Billion As Congress Makes Additional Funds Available for Recovery

WASHINGTON – Less than 90 days after Hurricane Sandy struck, the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved more than $1.1 billion in disaster loans to 16,800 residents and businesses in the federally declared states affected by the storm. This milestone comes as Congress passed emergency legislation that will add $799 million to SBA’s disaster assistance program budget to help meet the demand for loans from Hurricane Sandy and future disasters.

"Getting money into the hands of individuals and businesses in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy continues to be one of our top priorities," said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills. "My pledge to those affected by the hurricane is that SBA, working together with our local and federal partners, will help you rebuild. I am pleased Congress took the important step of appropriating much-needed funds to help us keep our promise."

Here’s how the supplemental appropriations will be used:

* $520 million for disaster loan subsidy costs, which would support $5 billion in SBA low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses and non-profit organizations;

* $249 million to cover the administrative costs of SBA disaster loan making and servicing;

* $20 million to support SBA’s resource partners—the Small Business Development Centers, SCORE, Women’s and Veterans Business Development Centers—as they provide assistance to businesses rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy;

* $10 million for additional administrative expenses, which include IT security and financial management costs related to SBA’s Hurricane Sandy response.

In terms of SBA disaster lending, Hurricane Sandy is the third largest disaster in U.S. history, followed by Hurricanes Katrina/Rita/Wilma (Aug./Sept. 2005, $10.8 billion) and the Northridge (CA) earthquake (Jan. 1994, $4 billion). The SBA currently has a disaster staff of 2,400 supporting the Hurricane Sandy response in seven states (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina) and Puerto Rico, as well as assisting in recovery efforts for other disasters nationwide.

FEDERAL ASSISTANCE TO NEW YORK HURRICANE SANDY SURVIVORS AT NEARLY $1.6 BILLION

FROM: FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Nearly $1.6 billion provided by FEMA, SBA to New York Hurricane Sandy
Survivors
January 25, 2013

NEW YORK — Federal disaster assistance to New York survivors of Hurricane Sandy totals almost $1.6 billion.

FEMA continues to reach out to all 13 counties designated for Individual Assistance, focusing on the hardest-hit areas. Assistance to residents in affected counties includes:
Bronx $2.4 million
Kings $191.1 million
Nassau $280.6 million
New York $13 million
Queens $221.1 million
Richmond $89.3 million
Suffolk $64.8 million
FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration have approved almost $1.6 billion for Hurricane Sandy survivors in New York. FEMA has approved nearly $868 million for individuals and households, including more than $761 million for housing assistance and more than $106 million in assistance for other needs.
SBA has approved more than $667 million in disaster loans to homeowners and renters and nearly $44 million in disaster businesses loans. The SBA has staff members at every FEMA/State Disaster Recovery Center and 17 Business Recovery Centers in the New York area to provide one-on-one help to business owners seeking disaster assistance.
More than 264,000 New Yorkers have contacted FEMA for information or registered for assistance, including more than 143,000 who have applied through the online application site or on their smartphone.
18 Disaster Recovery Centers are open in the affected areas. These include mobile sites as well as fixed sites. To date, nearly 140,000 survivors have been assisted at Disaster Recovery Centers in New York.
58 inspectors are currently in the field. To date, 174,472 home inspections have been completed, making a 99.4 percent completion rate.
13 New York counties are designated for both Individual Assistance and Public Assistance. These are Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester. Greene County has been designated for Public Assistance only.
Nearly $1.7 billion has been paid to National Flood Insurance Program policy holders in New York for losses resulting from Sandy. The National Flood Insurance Program, administered by FEMA, offers flood insurance to all homeowners, renters and business owners if their community participates in the NFIP.
Since Hurricane Sandy made landfall, FEMA has provided more than $519 million in Public Assistance grants in New York State. The FEMA PA program reimburses state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations 75 percent of costs for disaster-related expenses associated with emergency protective measures, debris removal, and the repair and restoration of damaged infrastructure. In order to qualify, damage must be a direct result of Hurricane Sandy.

SBA NAMES NATIONAL MINORITY SMALL BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR

Photo:  Small Business.  Credit:  Wikimedia.  

FROM: U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Idaho Contractor Named National Minority Small Business Person of the Year; GSA and Kansas Company Also Take Top Awards

SBA Launches New Online Training Series for Small Businesses

WASHINGTON – Kaleo Nawahine, a native Hawaiian and president of Performance Systems, Inc., an 8(a) and HUBZone-certified general contractor from Fruitland, Idaho, was named National Minority Small Business Person of the Year today by the U.S. Small Business Administration during the National 8(a) Training, Business Matchmaking and Awards event at the Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C.

Curt Koutelas, president and founder of Arrowhead Contracting, Inc. of Lenexa, Kan. received the 8(a) Graduate Firm of the Year award which recognizes 8(a) companies that have benefited from and exited the 8(a) program as intended by Congress and best exemplify the spirit and intent of the 8(a) program. The General Services Administration received the Administrator’s Leadership award, which recognizes the recipient’s tireless efforts and unwavering commitment on behalf of the nation’s minority small business community at the event co-hosted by the U.S. Black Chamber, Inc, the National 8(a) Association and J.P. Morgan Chase, N.A.

"The 8(a) program is one of the most effective tools we have to help small businesses and entrepreneurs in underserved communities grow and succeed," said SBA Deputy Administrator Marie Johns. "Kaleo and Curt are a testament to how effective the program can be in supporting small business growth. At the SBA, we continue to develop and improve our programs, so that more small businesses, in more communities, have the access and opportunity they need to build successful businesses that create good jobs."

Johns also announced the launch of an online pre-8(a) Business Development training series to help more small disadvantaged businesses gain access to SBA’s 8(a) Program. "This is another step in the right direction towards expanding outreach to underserved and minority business communities and helping them gain access to business development training and access to federal contracting opportunities," she said.

The first two parts of the new multi-part training series consists of four self-paced online courses introducing prospective small disadvantaged businesses to the 8(a) Business Development Program. The first course is a 30 minute tutorial with audio titled: Setting Expectations, which provides an overview of the 8(a) program, including eligibility requirements, step-by-step application instructions and a downloadable workbook. The second course, Introduction to Federal Contracting, is a 40-minute tutorial describing programs and initiatives that help small businesses win government contracts, including government-wide goals, size standards, set-asides and contracting methods used by the government. It also includes a downloadable workbook.

The two remaining courses in the training series are scheduled to be released by the end of the year. They will discuss marketing effectively to the government, business development, proposal writing, business and strategic planning and operational aspects of managing an 8(a) firm. The new comprehensive Pre-8(a) Business Development Program Training Series is featured in SBA’s Government Contracting Classroom at: www.sba.gov/gcclassroom.

Winners’ Biographies

National Minority Small Business Person of the Year

Kaleo Nawahine, a native Hawaiian is president of Performance Systems, of Fruitland, Idaho, and is certified in the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development and HUBZone Programs. Some of its major contracts include projects at the Boise airport and construction of the West Boise Waste Water Treatment Plant. The company maintains offices in Washington and Hawaii with 78 employees. Performance Systems was chosen from a group of 10 regional winners representing Massachusetts, New York, West Virginia, Florida, Michigan, Louisiana, Missouri, California and Montana.

8(a) Graduate Firm of the Year

Curt Koutelas, is founder and president of Arrowhead Contracting , Inc. of Lenexa, Kan., a diversified construction contractor headquartered in metropolitan Kansas City. Established in 1990, the company has an impressive track record of continuous growth, diversification and stability. Arrowhead’s services include general construction, civil construction, remedial construction, homeland security services and facility operation and maintenance. Some of its major projects include Department of Homeland Security projects such as: mass communication systems, level-5 bullet resistant window systems and cctv cabling, cameras, monitors and multiplexing systems.