Shimkat appointed to SBA field operations role 

Lisa Shimkat, state director of America’s Small Business Development Center Iowa, has been appointed the associate administrator of field operations for the U.S. Small Business Administration and the acting associate administrator for the Office of International Trade. Shimkat has led SBDC Iowa, which has 15 regional centers across the state,…

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Iowa Center awarded SBA contract to add Women’s Business Center in eastern Iowa

The Iowa Center for Economic Success has announced a contract award from the U.S. Small Business Administration to add a Women’s Business Center as part of the small-business services offered by its eastern Iowa office in Muscatine. This is the second Women’s Business Center in Iowa, in addition to the one at…

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Macias named SBA’s 2024 Iowa Minority Small Business Champion of the Year

The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced Tar Macias, publisher of Hola America and Hola Iowa, as the 2024 Iowa SBA Minority Small Business Champion of the Year. Macias immigrated from Mexico to Moline, Ill., when he was 14 years old. He started Hola America in 2000 to meet the…

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ISU among awardees of $5.4M in SBA research funding grants

The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced more than $5.4 million in funding through the Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program to 44 awardees, including Iowa State University. FAST provides small businesses and startups, particularly those in underserved communities, with specialized training, mentoring, and technical assistance for research and development….

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SBA announces cybersecurity pilot program, $3M in grants

The U.S. Small Business Administration is launching the Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program and allocating $3 million in new funding to help emerging small business owners develop their cybersecurity infrastructure, SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced Friday. “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses have adopted technology at high rates…

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Two Iowa accelerators receive SBA awards for inclusive entrepreneurship

The Small Business Administration announced 76 awards for accelerators supporting inclusive entrepreneurship, including two from Iowa. The New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative (NewBoCo) and Rural Business Innovators Iowa SBDC will receive $50,000 each as winners of the 2021 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, which recognized efforts that “targeted assistance to STEM/R&D entrepreneurs…

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SBA announces point-of-sale technology initiative for Restaurant Revitalization Fund

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced the first round of technology partners in a new initiative designed to deliver Restaurant Revitalization Funds to eligible restaurants through point-of-sale service providers Clover, NCR Corp., Square and Toast, the SBA announced this week. Once applications open, qualifying businesses will be able to work…

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