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Phoenix business owner: SBA can do more to help small firms launch

Posted at 8:33 AM, Sep 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-20 11:33:52-04

A Phoenix business owner told members of Congress this week that the Small Business Administration is doing a better job of giving minority-owned small businesses a leg up, but that the agency still needs to improve.

The comments by Fortis Networks Inc. CEO Clarence McAllister echoed those of other witnesses at a House Small Business Committee oversight hearing that was called on Sept. 18 to review the SBA’s 8(a) program, which aims to help “disadvantaged” firms with federal contracts.

The hearing comes as program participation continues to decline, from 7,000 businesses in 2010 to just 4,900 in 2016, according to committee documents.

An SBA plan to boost numbers, in part by streamlining the application process, has been “lackluster,” the documents said.

Read more from the Phoenix Business Journal.