WHAT:
Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and voice for America’s 33 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, will travel to Memphis this Thursday to participate in a fireside chat with CEO Chairman and Founder of Operation HOPE John Hope Bryant, and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland to discuss economic development opportunities and resources for local small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs in historically underserved communities.
The Fireside Chat will be open press, and a press gaggle will immediately follow the event.
The SBA and Operation HOPE signed a Strategic Alliance Memorandum (SAM) in March of 2022, an agreement to develop a working relationship to strengthen and expand small business development opportunities. As part of the agreement, SBA and Operation HOPE will connect historically underserved communities with mainstream private sector resources to empower underserved communities.
This collaboration will connect SBA programs and services to the Operation HOPE 1 Million Black Businesses initiative and their financial literacy initiative. SBA will provide information workshops and technical assistance with local Community Navigators/Resource Partners to drive awareness around access to capital, procurement, business development, and economic recovery. A special emphasis will be placed on connecting existing Operation HOPE financial literacy programming to SBA microlending and community advantage lending.
WHEN:
Thursday, October 20, 2022
WHO:
- SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman
- John Hope Bryant, Chairman, Operation Hope
- Mayor Jim Strickland
HOW:
Please RSVP by Wednesday, October 19, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. CT to christina.carr@sba.gov.
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All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. SBA’s support of/or participation in this event is not an endorsement of any product, service, or entity.
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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.
