Small Business: SBA continues to help businesses

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

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The U.S. Small Business Administration may not be as well known as a lot of other federal agencies, but it has done great good, without a lot of fuss and fanfare, for the last 50 years. It has helped more than 20 million Americans start, grow and expand their businesses placing more than $170 billion in direct or guaranteed loans into the hands of entrepreneurs.|ret||ret||tab|

Unlike most government agencies, the SBA has paid for itself many times over the hand-up the SBA gives to entrepreneurs has resulted in economic growth and tax revenues that are immeasurable.|ret||ret||tab|

Imagine the return to the economy of just these few well-known SBA-assisted companies: Nike, Fed-Ex, Intel, Compaq, Staples, Outback Steakhouse, Iowa's Winnebago, and Kansas City's Cerner Corporation. These are ones that became household names, but examples of the SBA's work are all around us. |ret||ret||tab|

Take the Getz IGA Store in Hoxie, Kan., which was honored as an example of the majority of businesses that receive SBA federal guaranteed loan assistance at SBA's 50th anniversary Kick-Off Celebration at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library and Museum last week.|ret||ret||tab|

This grocery store serves a small community of about 1,300 people. For many years it was the only grocery store in town and continues to add significantly to the quality of life in the rural town of Hoxie.|ret||ret||tab|

The Getz IGA might not be around today, with the third generation of the original owner's family working in its aisles, were it not for a little assistance from a newly formed SBA back in 1958. This is their story.|ret||ret||tab|

Robert "Bob" Getz grew up in his father's general merchandise store in Tasco, Kan. So it was no surprise that, after answering a call to duty during World War II, Bob found his own livelihood in self-employment. Following in his father's footsteps, he purchased a grocery store in Hoxie and ran it for about a year before moving the business into a leased building. Ten years later, when the leasing contract expired, he wanted to build a new store.|ret||ret||tab|

He approached the Hoxie State Bank for money to cover the construction and update with new equipment and stock. Art Shatzell, then president of the Hoxie State Bank, applied to a new and very young federal agency, the U.S. Small Business Administration, for a new program called a "small business loan guarantee." As a result, the city of Hoxie received the benefits of a new grocery store and Getz was able to continue operating a business that would provide a living for his family for generations to come. |ret||ret||tab|

Robert Getz passed away in December 2002, but the business remains in the family. Kirk Getz can vividly recall the days of standing atop a large cheese box to slice luncheon meat. |ret||ret||tab|

It all began while he was in the fifth grade, and he, too, caught the entrepreneurial spirit. He became a formal business partner with his father in 1986. Although his father semi-retired during 1999 due to his health, Bob's mind and heart never fully left the store and he would frequently call his son with suggestions and ideas. Kirk took full ownership of the business in January 2003 and today operates the store with his wife, Jana. |ret||ret||tab|

Just as Kirk Getz was introduced into the world of small business by his father, he, too, has taught his children Candy, Kirk, John and Rex about the grocery business. The store still operates on the site his father built with the SBA loan. |ret||ret||tab|

The Getz family is a wonderful example of the good work the SBA has done during the past 50 years. |ret||ret||tab|

SBA has been there to bridge the gap and give a hand-up to those with a dream and the dedication to work hard. The SBA's work has paid off for individuals, families and communities. |ret||ret||tab|

In keeping with our heritage, the SBA will continue all year to commemorate our anniversary by asking small-business owners what their needs and concerns are today, and how we can best serve them during the next 50 years. We are dedicated to serving them because an America without small business would be like a Hoxie, Kan., without the Getz IGA.|ret||ret||tab|

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