SBA field offices staffed 14% lower than historic average

SBA official questioned on personnel, HBCUs and more

     The number of Small Business Administration field staff stationed throughout the country in SBA District Offices has shrunk in recent years and various factors are delaying attempts to boost their numbers, a senior official has acknowledged.

      “There has been a path of reduction in the number,” Michael Vallante, SBA associate administrator for the Office of Field Operations, said at the House Small Business Committee hearing on Jan. 29.

      The SBA’s field staff are present in every state and in the forefront in assisting small business owners in certifying for eligibility for government contracts and loans...more....