For small businesses in the City of Miami, local and federal agencies had a message. “You’re at the right place, at the right time,” said Althea Harris, deputy director of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) South Florida District Office. “The lenders are lending.”
And in South Florida - considered anything south of Orlando by the SBA - they’re lending to the tune of almost $2.6 billion in loan guarantees. 25% of that money lands in Miami-Dade County. These SBA loans are not the only opportunities for businesses based in the City of Miami.
The SBA official was a featured panelist at the Miami Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Business Summit this month, which included other business experts and community leaders. Also on the panel was Manual Cid, senior advisor for Economic Opportunity at Miami-Dade County, Isiaa Jones, executive director of the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency (Omni CRA) and Brian Van Hook, regional director of the Florida SBDC at FIU Business. It was moderated by Keith Carswell, director of the City of Miami’s department of Economic Innovation and Development.
Jesus Padilla, assistant director of the Florida SBDC at FIU, at the HUBZone event.
The HUBZone is an SBA program aimed at fueling business growth in historically underutilized business zones, with a goal of awarding at least 3% of federal contract dollars to HUBZone-certified companies each year.
After explaining their roles and services, the panelists took questions from businesses in the audience, ranging from nonprofits to tech companies and restaurants. Local entrepreneur Ricardo Ricciuti, owner of Caffe and Bottega said these types of events help tremendously.
“They helped us secure a grant from the Omni CRA, it was $10,000,” said Ricciuti. “It helped us use the money for rent and retain staffing. They really focus on what they do, and that’s good for the business community.”
The event also served as a platform to guide these businesses into the robust local network of support, whether businesses are seeking technical support, grants, loans or government contracts.
“We appreciate the City of Miami and the Omni CRA organizing such a great event,,” said Van Hook. “There are Federal, State and local resources available right now to help Miami entrepreneurs start and grow a business. Events like this are a game changer to connect with key leaders in our community with grants, loans and incentives.”
To learn more about becoming a HUBZone certified business, visit this link to the SBA website.
You can also learn more about City of Miami programs at the Department of Economic Innovation and Development here.