Small Business Administration Reps Tour 'Made In BMore' Clothing Factory
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A day after President Biden delivered his State of the Union address, Small Business Administration representatives paid a visit to Baltimore to tour the Made in BMore Clothing factory.
The goal of Wednesday's visit was to highlight the positive impact the American Rescue Plan has made and to discuss what the Biden administration is doing to reach underserved communities across the country.
"When (President Biden) talks about making it in America, he wants to make sure that all the agencies in the federal government are ready to make sure that growth and investment is equally distributed," SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman said.
One of the topics discussed during the visit was simplifying the process by which vendors apply for government contracts.
"We found that Black businesses are 10% of all businesses, but less than 2% of the contracts go to Black businesses and there are disparities the agency can see and track and understand," Guzman said.
The U.S. Black Chambers Inc. was also on the tour. The organization's mission is to help reduce barriers underserved entrepreneurs face when trying to access programs needed to recover from an economic crisis.
Ron Busby, the organization's president and CEO, pointed to the Paycheck Protection Program as an example. He said a day after news of the $349 billion package became widely known, $250 billion of it been awarded to publicly traded companies.
"(They) had relationships," Busby said. "It's on us now to create those relationships today and don't wait till the next wave of challenges."
Guzman said the Small Business Administration will continue to work toward an inclusive economy while investing in America.
