SBA Update
WBC Funding—The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced the funding of 34 existing Women’s Business Centers (WBCs), including Kansas City, Mo., and Lenexa, Kan. The WBC program, established by Congress in 1988, provides training, counseling and mentoring services to women Entrepreneurs. . U.S. House of Representatives Bill 4376 had stalled in committee after passing the Senate earlier this year, jeopardizing the program’s future.

AABWA Alliance—The SBA and the American and African Business Women’s Alliance (AABWA) have signed a cooperative agreement to promote programs that will help small businesses nationally and internationally, and to jointly participate in international trade opportunities, particularly on the African continent.

Spanish Brochures Available—The SBA has published four new brochures in Spanish designed to provide its Spanish-speaking customers with easy-to-use information about basic entrepreneurship and SBA resources. Information for the Small Business Owner, How to Start Your own Business: A Practical Guide, How to Finance a Small Business, and Assistance for Small Businesses at Women’s Business Centers will soon be available for download at www.negocias.gov as well as through SBA district offices, Small Business Development Centers and Women’s Business Centers.

Size Standards Rule Proposal Withdrawn—The SBA has withdrawn proposed rules that would have changed the standards by which a business is designated “small” for the purposes of government programs. The agency received many comments during its 60-day comment period, including those from Women Impacting Public Policy. WIPP asked the agency to withdraw the rule because the organization believed it was bad for small businesses, would have added a layer of complexity and could have had unintended negative effects.

Women of Influence Dinner
The Kansas Women’s Business Center will honor area women entrepreneurs at the inaugural Women of Influence Dinner on September 14, 2004, at the Overland Park Convention Center.

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius will introduce Dr. Mae Jemison as the keynote speaker. As a member of the crew for the space shuttle Endeavour’s Sept. 12, 1992, launch, Jemison became the first African-American woman astronaut in space. She is also the founder of a technology company and a college professor.

The KWBC will use proceeds from the event, which begins at 6 p.m., to provide services that support women businesses owners in the bi-state area as well as throughout Kansas. For more information or tickets, call (913) 492-5922.

Hispanic Chamber Meets with NFIB and SBA
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City hosted a meeting with The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and the Small Business Administration in late July. SBA Administrator Hector Barreto and NFIB CEO Jack Faris discussed issues facing small business owners and provided a legislative update from Washington, D.C.

Barreto stressed the importance of  reaching out to emerging markets such as minorities and women business owners.

Faris spoke about freedom for small businesses to grow without the pressure from government. He also advocated small business owner involvement in the political process. He also announced that 93-percent of Missouri NFIB members voted to endorse Matt Blunt for Missouri Governor, so NFIB is formally endorsing Blunt. The NFIB is the largest advocacy organization representing small and independent businesses in America.

University President Tours KC Campus
University of Missouri President Elson Floyd got a chance to see how the university’s partnership with public and private entities helps local economic development when he toured the 4747 Troost Building on June 25.

Homer Erekson, UMKC business dean and Steve Wyatt, business development program director, led the group through the building as employees and guests described dozens of programs and their client success stories.

“Our urban extension responsibility is manifested in what happens here at 4747 Troost,” said Floyd. “We want to capture and help promote the entrepreneurial spirit that is so reflective of Kansas City.”

Tom Henderson, interim vice provost and director, said MU Extension has invested $1 million to re-energize its partnership with UMKC and local business development groups. Henderson also announced a new $650,000 Kellogg Foundation grant that will bring food producers together with cooperatives and restaurants in Kansas City and other Missouri cities.

Deadline for Helzberg Mentoring
The Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program, which matches seasoned successful entrepreneurs with less-experienced mentees, will accept applications to the program through Wednesday, August 18, 2004. Up to 12 mentees from the Kansas City metropolitan area will be selected.

Eligible applicants must own a majority of or operate as the ultimate decision maker in a business that is at least three years old and with revenues of between $1 million and $75 million. In addition, the applicant must have a desire to substantially grow the business.

The three-year program has 20 organized events/meetings per year; the mentoring is self-paced. The cost of the program is $1,000 a year in addition to a $45 one-time application and self-assessment profile processing fee. For more information, call (816) 235-6125.

Big Renovation in Overland Park
A $7.5 million renovation project has begun at the Cloverleaf Office Park, a 10-building complex with 400,000 square feet of office space at Shawnee Mission Parkway and Metcalf Avenue. The renovation will include new entries and landscaping and new interiors. Rees Masilionis Turley is the architect. Rosehill Gardens and May McCown Gordon Construction are the contractors.

Humanitarian of the Year Award Presented
The Small Business Council of America has presented its Small Business Humanitarian of the Year Award to Ann Dickinson, chairman of Bank Midwest and its parent company, Dickinson Financial Corporation, in recognition of the time and effort she has spent on charitable and civic matters.

KansasBio Forms Founding Board
The Kansas Bioscience Association has formed its founding board and has launched  a drive for membership. The new board is made up of 19 Kansas corporate executives. The statewide not-for-profit education and advocacy organization will focus on serving as the voice of biosciences and accelerating the growth of bioscience in Kansas. For more information, call (785) 296-3686 or visit www.kansasbio.org.