Torres Hosts Small Business Roundtable in Rialto
ONTARIO, CA – Today Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-Pomona) held a small business roundtable in Rialto to hear directly from local businesses about the challenges they face and to learn about the effectiveness of available resources.
"Our small businesses are an engine of growth for the Inland Empire, and are the key to a diverse, flourishing local economy," said Torres. "Today's roundtable gave me the opportunity to not only learn more about the resources that are available to local businesses but also to hear straight from the business owners who've used those resources."
Joining Congresswoman Torres at today's roundtable included representatives from the Small Business Administration, the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship, the Small Business Development Center, and the Inland Empire Women's Business Center. During the meeting Torres also discussed the CLEAR SBA Act which she introduced earlier this year. This bill would create an easy to use database to make it easier for small business owners and entrepreneurs to find the small business loans they need to grow and succeed.
"Whether it's improving federal programs or making it easier to get help from the private sector, as a Member of Congress, I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to ensure we have an environment where small businesses can flourish," continued Torres. "A small business doesn't have the staff and resources of a large company, so we need to help level the playing field so they can become competitive and keep our economy thriving.
"This roundtable was a wonderful opportunity to sit down with the Congresswoman and share our thoughts on what we think Congress should be working on in the coming weeks and months to strengthen our local small businesses" said Vincent McCoy, Director of the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center (SBDC). "It's incredibly important that we connect federal resources with local needs and these roundtables make it possible for small businesses to meet with the organizations that can help them grow and create jobs."
The Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship is housed at California State University, San Bernardino, and is a general one stop resource center for small businesses. Small business owners in the 35th District are also encouraged to contact Rep. Torres's Ontario office should they need additional information or if they're experiencing issues with a federal agency. They may also visit Torres's Small Business Resource page /smallbusiness.