Small Business Administration Reaches Out to Expand Its Reach

Robert Scott is the Regional Administrator of the Great Lakes Region of the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) and he is on a mission. Scott recently toured some of the areas of his region facing some of the greatest economic stagnation to spread the word about some of the benefits of the Small Business Administration. He is responsible for the rustbelt in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. He oversees the delivery of the agency’s financial assistance, technical assistance and government contracting activities. He met with groups to explain the services that are offered by the SBA and how the average small business owner can benefit from them. Scott says that too often people think the SBA only provides loans but he quickly adds that the SBA can help a fledgling business in all types of technical assistance and consultation. The SBA also attempts to match small businesses with potential government contracts, if possible. Scott is a lawyer from the Dayton area and also serves as a Kettering, Ohio city councilman. He is a small business owner himself. He claims this experience helps him identify issues confronting other small business owners and assists him in providing assistance. He received a “Forty under 40” award from the American Association of Political Consultants in 2016 and the Dayton Business Journal named him one of the city’s notable “Forty under 40” professionals in 2015. He most recently served as the Ohio director for the Donald J. Trump for President campaign.