Small Business Committee to Host Outreach Conferences in Louisiana

WASHINGTON – United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Mary Landrieu, D-La., today announced that the Committee will next month begin a series of outreach conferences in Louisiana for small business owners looking to utilize federal and state small business assistance programs.  The Committee will work with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Louisiana Economic Development (LED) to provide brief overviews of SBA lending programs, federal contracting opportunities, LED’s Small and Emerging Business Development Program and other programs to help small businesses maintain and grow their businesses in this tough economic climate.

“I am pleased to announce that the Small Business Committee will be holding a series of events throughout Louisiana that will assist small business owners interested in utilizing government programs to expand their businesses and create new jobs,” Sen. Landrieu said.  “These outreach conferences will provide an excellent opportunity for Louisianians to work with my staff, the SBA and LED to find out how to get SBA-backed loans, secure federal contracts and create new jobs for Louisiana’s workers.”

Officials from the SBA and LED will join Sen. Landrieu’s staff, which includes Staff Director and Chief Legal Counsel Donald Cravins, Jr., a former State Senator from Louisiana, to discuss top concerns for entrepreneurs.  Sen. Landrieu will attend portions of the outreach conferences to discuss her work on the Small Business Committee and to hear from constituents on how she can best serve the interests of Louisiana small business owners.

The following outreach conferences are currently scheduled, and more will be added in other parts of the state later in the year:

Lake Charles, La.

Lafayette, La

1:00 – 5:00