Release Date: February 14, 2008
Contact: Tiffani Clements (202) 401-0035
Release Number: 08-13
Internet Address: www.sba.gov/news/

SBA Partnership with Minority Business RoundTable Will expand agency assistance to minority-owned businesses

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration moved today to broaden its outreach to minority entrepreneurs by signing a partnership with the Minority Business RoundTable (MBRT).

The strategic alliance is part of SBA Administrator Steve Preston’s ongoing effort to support small business development initiatives in underserved communities. It will allow the organizations to share resources and educate minority entrepreneurs on how to use SBA products and services to establish and grow their businesses.

“Minority businesses are one of the fastest growing sectors in the small business community, so it is imperative we reach out and educate them on SBA’s products and services,” SBA Administrator Steve Preston said. “MBRT is a national membership organization for minority CEOs that serves as a unified voice for minority businesses. By working together, we can help more of these businesses succeed and stimulate economic growth in their communities and the nation’s economy.”

“There are over 5 million minority businesses employing millions of Americans that create businesses and jobs in the economy,” said Roger A. Campos, MBRT President & CEO. “MBRT is pleased to partner with SBA to deliver valuable services and products to help build the capacity of this rapidly expanding economic force.”

The SBA and MBRT alliance is intended to strengthen and expand small business development across the nation for minority entrepreneurs. SBA will provide MBRT with timely information on the agency’s programs, services and resource partners, and advise them on events that will impact their mission.

As part of the resource pooling, MBRT will cooperate with SBA and its resource partners to provide information to members about its business development programs and services, and share current SBA news and information.
The two-year agreement is a renewal of the partnership beween the SBA and MBRT and was implemented on February 2, 2008.


About the Minority Business RoundTable:

The Minority Business RoundTable is the only national non-profit organization for CEOs of the nation's leading African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, Native-American and other minority-owned businesses. Its members analyze and help formulate effective public policies that impact minority-owned business.  MBRT charter member firms earned gross sales from $53 million to more than $5 billion per company and employs between 80 and 4,000 people. 
 
The Minority Business RoundTable is proud to have Aerotek, Inc., one of the nation's leading provider of personnel services, the Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of the country's leading corporations, the Kauffman Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Labor and other federal agencies as strategic partners.  For more information on the Minority Business RoundTable, please visit www.mbrt.net.
 
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NEWS RELEASE
Minority Business Roundtable
1629 K Street
Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20006
 
Contact: Roger A Campos
President & CEO
Minority Business Roundtable
202-289-8881
rogercampos@mbrt.net