Small Business: Businesses hit by military call-ups may get SBA help

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Sam Jones is the Region VII SBA Administrator.|ret||ret||tab|

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National Guard and military reserve service is a proud tradition in southwest Missouri. In many communities, enlistment in the National Guard is as much a rite of passage as getting a driver's license. |ret||ret||tab|

That dedication to national service can be devastating for businesses and their host communities when units or key individuals are called to active duty.|ret||ret||tab|

So many southwest Missourians have ties to Fort Leonardwood and Whitman Air Force Base, and remain in the reserves, I would be remiss if I did not point out that the U.S. Small Business Administration offers help to those who own small businesses or are essential to them and who have been called to active duty.|ret||ret||tab|

Small-businesses owners or small businesses with essential employees who have been or can be called to active duty by the Reserve or National Guard units can get online assistance through a new Web page developed by SBA's Office of Veterans Business Development. These owners and companies may be eligible for up to $1.5 million at an interest rate not to exceed 4 percent. Repayment deferrals, interest rate reductions and other assistance on SBA guaranteed loans may be available.|ret||ret||tab|

The page, www.sba.gov/reservists/, is part of a larger, comprehensive push by OBVD the Office of Veterans Business Development to provide members of the National Guard and Reserve who own, or are essential employees of a small business, with timely information on all SBA programs and services available to them during a period of military conflict.|ret||ret||tab|

"A call to duty of a key employee can be disruptive and financially taxing for a small business that is not prepared. It is essential that we at the SBA provide small business owners and employees involved in defending our country with the information and tools they need to prepare for and face that possibility," said national SBA Administrator Hector Barreto.|ret||ret||tab|

Since the attacks on America on Sept.11, 2001, more than 100,000 Reserve and National Guard members have been called to active duty. In anticipation of additional call-ups, the SBA has taken steps to ensure that eligible small businesses are informed.|ret||ret||tab|

The site has a list of Veterans Business Development Officers nationwide, information on debt relief, disaster assistance loans, business counseling and training, and other SBA resources.|ret||ret||tab|

For more information about SBA programs and services, please call the Springfield SBA Branch Office at 417-890-8501, or visit the Office of Veterans Business Development Web site at www.sba.gov/VETS/. For more information about assistance for businesses with key employees in the National Guard or the Reserve, visit the new Web site at www.sba.gov/reservists/.|ret||ret||tab|

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