SBA Update
Web Site Launched for International Market Assistance—The SBA has partnered with the American International Group, Inc. (AIG) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to assist small businesses interested in international markets. Located at www.AssessYourInternationalRisk.org, the site is designed to help small business owners determine what insurable exposures they may encounter in doing business overseas. These can range from credit and liability risks with unknown customers to workers’ compensation laws. The site also features an ask-the-expert option, where small business owners can ask questions about doing business overseas.

Move to Risk-Based Lender Oversight—The SBA is implementing a risk-based approach to overseeing individual lenders that includes an early warning predictive score component and a more comprehensive lender review process. Dun & Bradstreet and Fair Isaac, leaders in risk management, were hired to provide loan and lender monitoring services. The new oversight tools will provide risk ranking of all SBA lenders, off-site monitoring of credit and performance trends of SBA lenders and leader and portfolio benchmarking and peer comparisons.

Agency Overview Offered in Seven Languages—The SBA Web site’s page “An Introduction to the U.S. Small Business Administration,” is now available in seven languages: English, Spanish, Russian, French, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese. The overview will also be translated into Serbo-Croatian and Vietnamese. The introduction is downloadable in a PDF format and is available at www.sba.gov/aboutsba/international/overview.html.

Jim Martin Named KEDA President
Jim Martin, executive director of the Shawnee Economic Development Council, was elected president of the Kansas Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) in October. KEDA is a more than 20-year-old association designed to assist with efforts to improve the state’s economy and employment. The association works with elected officials on legislation affecting economic development. Educational and networking opportunities are also offered.

Interstate 49 Completion Supported
Kansas City SmartPort hosted a congressional delegation at Kansas City International Airport in October to discuss support of a project to complete the U.S. 71/Interstate 49-highway system. The goal is to develop U.S. 71 into an interstate grade highway from Kansas City to New Orleans in order to move goods in and out of the Kansas City area. The Congressional I-49 Caucus is a bipartisan, multi-state coalition of members of the U.S. House of Representatives formed with the objective of securing federal funding for the completion of I-49. Call (816) 374-5680 for more information.

Lee’s Summit Chamber Adds Board Members
The Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce has appointed five new members to its board of directors: Marilyn Combellick, human resources manager, Archer Engineering; Greg Kartsonis, account executive, Savin Ricoh Business Systems; Debbie Leonard, manager of external affairs, Aquila; Pam Marsh, human resources manager, Polytainers, Inc.; and Maria Timberlake, vice president of resident relations, John Knox Village.

Program Honors School, Business Partnerships
The National School and Business Partnerships Award has been formed so that the most successful business and school partnerships will become models of excellence to be emulated in other communities. Six exemplary partnership programs will be honored in the award’s inaugural year. Awardees will receive $10,000 for the school to support continued partnership efforts.

The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships, an organization founded in 2001 by The Coca-Cola Company, created the award. Partnerships involving kindergarten through 12th grade public schools and school districts and businesses are eligible to participate in the awards program. Applications are due by Jan. 29, 2004 and are available on-line at www.corpschoolpartners.org.

Commerce Bank is Top SBA Loan Underwriter
Commerce Bank is Kansas City’s top Small Business Administration loan underwriter for the 2003 fiscal year as measured by total dollars. Commerce Bank extended more than $10.7 million in loans to small companies in the Kansas City metro area. The actual number of loans increased by 71 percent, providing more than $10 million to local businesses. Commerce has ranked as one of the top two lenders in the Kansas City metropolitan area during the SBA’s last four fiscal years. This year, Commerce closed 67 SBA-guaranteed loans with a total value of $10,762,800.