Senator Rosen Was Joined By Small Business Administration Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, Deputy Secretary Of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small, And Congressman Mark Amodei
RENO, NV – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, held a roundtable discussion with Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small, Congressman Mark Amodei (R-NV-02), and President of the University of Nevada, Reno Brian Sandoval highlighting an agreement between the Small Business Administration (SBA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support rural small businesses.
Recently, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Administrator Guzman re-signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the USDA and SBA to promote stronger businesses and economies in rural areas. This agreement has already led to close partnership between both agencies, which have established the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) program that provides funding for technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. In 2022, the University of Nevada, Reno received RBDG program funds to help an agricultural small business in Nevada.
“In Nevada, small businesses make up over 99 percent of all businesses, including many in rural areas,” said Senator Rosen. “I was pleased to bring leaders of the Small Business Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture together to discuss how they are working closely, especially through the crucial Rural Business Development Grant Program that I work to fund every year, to support our rural small businesses. I’ll continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support Nevada’s economy.”
“Rural small businesses strengthen local economies – creating jobs and serving communities,” said Administrator Guzman. “The SBA’s partnership with USDA will build upon the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to investing in underserved rural Americans and providing the needed resources to help them start and grow their businesses to advance our economy and global competitiveness.”
“When rural small business owners, entrepreneurs, and technical assistance providers get the opportunities they deserve, rural Nevadans benefit. That’s why USDA is proud to continue its partnership with the SBA to do just that,” said Deputy Secretary Torres Small. “Today’s announcement is yet another example of President Biden’s commitment to the prosperity of rural communities, and thanks to Senator Rosen’s leadership, we’ll continue to help rural businesses compete on a fair playing field in both domestic and international markets.”
“Our small rural businesses are foundational to a diversified and successful Nevada economy,” said University of Nevada, Reno President Brian Sandoval. “Thanks to the efforts of Senator Rosen for continuing this work that is investing in our rural businesses, communities throughout our state are continuing to grow and thrive. I am also very proud that our University, through our Nevada Small Business Development Center in our College of Business as well our University Extension, is playing an important role in ensuring that small rural business needs are being met through counseling, economic planning and coordination, business opportunity analysis, technical reports and much, much more.”
Below is coverage from the event:
KOLO Reno: Senator Jacky Rosen hosts roundtable highlighting rural small businesses
- Senator Jacky Rosen hosted a roundtable discussion highlighting the agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture & the Small Business Administration.
- This comes just as an agreement was made between the two agencies to support rural small businesses. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed November 20, is meant to show that the USDA and SBA are committing to increase investments in small and underserved communities to help grow the rural economy and create good-paying jobs for people nationwide.
- Senator Rosen was joined by Administrator Isabel Guzman, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small, Congressman Mark Amodei, UNR President Brian Sandoval, as well as local small business owners.
- Thanks to the agreement between the SBA and USDA, the rural business development grant program was created to provide funding for technical assistance and training to create jobs and expand access to new and better market opportunities for people in rural Nevada.
KTVN Reno: Rosen Hosts Roundtable Highlighting Support for Rural Small Businesses
Reporter: Local leaders gathered today to host a roundtable discussion on how small, rural businesses can best be supported ahead of Small Business Saturday… The Rural Business Development Grant — pushed by Senator Jacky Rosen — helps provide funding for technical assistance and training for small rural businesses.
KRNV Reno: Senator Jacky Rosen in Reno to Support Rural Small Businesses
Reporter: In Reno today, Senator Jacky Rosen hosted a roundtable discussion with the USDA and the Small Business Administration. This comes as a federal agreement was re-signed between the two organizations to support rural small businesses. Last year, the University of Nevada received a rural business development grant as part of this agreement.
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