Washington, July 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Thursday, July 8, the U.S. Small Business Administration and Public Private Strategies Institute hosted a New England Region (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) briefing for small business owners on COVID-19 recovery as part of the "Getting Back on Track: Help is Here" webinar series.
Nearly 1,000 participants joined the livestream briefing featuring Bibi Hidalgo, Associate Administrator for SBA Government Contracting and Business Development. “President Biden and SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman have laid out a bold vision for the agency to reinvigorate our nation’s small businesses. Right now, we have an opportunity for the government to use its purchasing power to build wealth in underserved communities and to provide new opportunities to small businesses across the country,” said Ms. Hidalgo. The webinar featured live translation for Spanish speakers.
Participants joined an in-depth question and answer session with SBA New Hampshire District Director and New England Acting Regional Administrator Amy Bassett. Ms. Bassett provided detailed updates on low-interest disaster relief aid and American Rescue Plan programs, such as the Shuttered Venue Operators Grants and Paycheck Protection Program. She also discussed technical assistance that SBA district offices could provide applicants.
Additionally, participants heard from guest speaker Jeff Wu, Deputy Director, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, emphasizing vaccinations and healthcare options for small business employers and employees.
Rhett Buttle, President of Public Private Strategies Institute, emphasized, “Public Private Strategies Institute continues to be honored to partner with the SBA on this ongoing series to give small business owners the tools they need to build back better. We continue to talk about how access to capital, small business leadership on vaccines, and digital tools can help Main Streets come back stronger from COVID-19. At the same time, we will bring new topics to these events like the importance of government contracting and were thrilled to have Associate Administrator Bibi Hidalgo join the webinar.”
SBA recommends applicants, interested parties, and qualified entities check these additional resources for economic aid and vaccinations:
- SBA Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center: 1-800-659-2955. Operation Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday; 1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard of hearing or DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov
- Local Resources Partners: https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance or www.sba.gov/asistencia-local
- SBA's Guide to Federal Contracting: https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting
- Getting Back on Track: Help is Here Virtual Webinar Series: To join one of the regional webinars in this series, register at Getting Back on Track: Help is Here!
- SBA’s National Small Business Week Virtual Summit, September 13-15, 2021: National Small Business Week Virtual Summit (sba.gov) or www.sba.gov/national-small-business-week
- Subscribe to the SBA's e-newsletter: www.sba.gov/updates
- Follow the SBA on Twitter: @SBAgov
- Visit vaccines.gov and healthcare.gov for healthcare and vaccination resources.
Disclaimer:
Cosponsorship Authorization # 21-0501-14: The SBA’s participation in this cosponsored activity is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products, or services of any cosponsor or other person or entity. All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
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