SBA names entrepreneurs to SBDC advisory board

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced Oct. 14 the appointment of two small-business owners to serve on the national advisory board of the SBA's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) program.

The new appointments are Loretta Kaminsky, CEO and owner of Lou-retta's Custom Chocolates Inc. in Buffalo, N.Y., and William D. Elmore, owner of Data Services in Eureka. Kaminsky and Elmore will serve on the national board for a term of three years, providing advice and counsel on the administration and improvement of SBDC programs nationwide.

"We are delighted to welcome Ms. Kaminsky and Mr. Elmore to the SBDC National Advisory Board," SBA Administrator Aida Alvarez said in a news release. "With their extensive knowledge of the challenges business owners face and the policies governing small firms, these two seasoned entrepreneurs will bring invaluable insight and perspective to the board and the SBDC program."

Johnnie Albertson, the SBA's associate administrator for the SBDC program, added that "Mr. Elmore's addition to the board is a first having a veterans' advocate as a member of this important group for the SBDC program. As a successful small-business owner, Ms. Kaminsky has also been both a role model and advocate for women in the business-ownership arena."

Kaminsky founded Lou-retta's Custom Chocolates, a manufacturer of internationally known gourmet chocolates and fancy foods, in 1984. Active in community affairs, Kaminsky serves as a member or officer of nearly a dozen organizations. She has received numerous entrepreneurial awards, including the New York State Small Business Development Center Business Person of the Year.

Kaminsky currently serves on the New York SBDC Advisory Board and is a frequent lecturer on entrepreneurship.

Elmore brings experience as both a successful entrepreneur and recognized national veterans' advocate to the board. He was honored as the SBA's Veteran's Advocate of the Year for Missouri in 1984 and is the recipient of the Presidential Certificate for Outstanding Community Achievement of Vietnam Era Veterans. As an experienced businessman, Elmore developed the national model for the SBA's Veterans Entrepreneur Training Program.

Established in 1982, the SBDC national advisory board's mission is to advise the SBA on ways to advance and improve the national and local SBDC programs and operations.

The SBA's SBDC program is a cooperative effort of the private sector, the educational community and federal, state and local governments to deliver counseling, training and technical assistance in all aspects of small-business management through its 950 centers nationwide.

Nationally, the SBDC program provides counseling and training to more than 500,000 clients a year.

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