SBA to conduct business development seminars for veterans
The Puerto Rico Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration invites veterans, members of the Armed Forces and their spouses to attend its upcoming events aimed at promoting small business ownership among the military community along the island’s northwestern region.
The first business development seminar will be held Aug. 24 at the American Legion, #122 Ave. del Veterano in San Germán, and the second will take place Aug. 25 at the Educational Opportunities Center of the Inter-American University’s Arecibo Campus. Both events will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“We continue providing Puerto Rico’s military community with the necessary assistance to start, grow and expand successful small businesses,” said SBA District Director José R. Sifontes. “There is a wide array of programs and resources available to help veterans on the road to entrepreneurship and these events have been designed specifically with them in mind.”
Both seminars will include sessions on financing alternatives, especially SBA’s loan guaranty programs such as the Patriot Express, a streamlined loan product with an enhanced guarantee and interest rate characteristics. Since the program was implemented in June 2008, the SBA has approved nearly $4.5 million in Patriot Express loans to members of the military community in Puerto Rico.
In addition, the seminars will include discussions on federal contracting opportunities, and management and technical assistance programs delivered through SBA resource partners such as SCORE: Counselors to America’s Small Business, the Puerto Rico Small Business & Technology Development Center and the Women’s Business Institute. Attendees will also have the chance to learn about transitional assistance and vocational rehabilitation.
These seminars are free of charge. To register, please call (787) 766-5220 / 5519. For more information on SBA’s programs and services for veterans, visit http://www.sba.gov/vets.
