SBA Panel: Celebrating Rural Entrepreneurship

The free, virtual session was 12 noon – 1 p.m. CDT on Thursday, Aug. 25.

The U.S. Small Business Administration hosted a live online panel session to celebrate Rural Entrepreneurship with rural-owned small businesses as they share their small business stories and how they utilized SBA and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) resources and economic aid as critical financial lifelines to pivot during the pandemic.

Learn about the resources available from the SBA and USDA to help rural entrepreneurs compete in the marketplace, launch or expand businesses, receive counseling, funding opportunities, and help to recover or rebuild from disasters.

Panel Session Speakers

• Allen Thomas, Regional Administrator for SBA Region IV,
• Terri Billups, Acting Director, Deputy Director for SBA Office of Field Operations and Office of Rural Affairs, and
• Morgan Beavers, Business Operations Officer of Graylee Construction and Demolition in Austin, Arkansas

The discussion will focus on the importance of financial wellness, creating generational wealth through business ownership, and increasing equity and access to opportunities to help uplift and support Rural-owned small businesses. The panel will also discuss SBA initiatives and resources that support small business recovery, new Rural startups seeking to launch, and existing Rural-owned small businesses as they pivot and grow in a post-COVID world, a priority of the Biden-Harris Administration and SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman.

Registration is closed.