Administrator Guzman to Stop in Columbia During National Bus Tour
COLUMBIA, S.C. May 2, 2022 – On May 4th and 5th, Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and voice for America’s 32.5 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, will join the “Building a Better America Through Entrepreneurship” bus tour to celebrate National Small Business Week 2022 in South Carolina. Administrator Guzman will visit a total of nine cities across the country and, in collaboration with the SBA’s local offices, join local elected officials to celebrate America’s small businesses who have played an integral role in powering our nation’s historically strong economic comeback.
The “Building a Better America Through Entrepreneurship” tour will take place May 2-5 and feature stops in San Francisco, California; Denver, Colorado; Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia; Columbia and Richburg, South Carolina; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; and Norfolk, Virginia.
South Carolina Stops
WBC Benedict College
2601 Read Street
Columbia, SC
- SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman
- Daniel Rickenmann, City of Columbia Mayor
- Roslyn Clark Artis, President, Benedict College
- Edward “Ed” McDowell Jr., Councilman, City of Columbia
- Councilwoman Tina Herbert, Esq.
- Councilwoman Aditi Bussells, Ph.D.
- Councilman Joe Taylor (Former Sec. of SC Department of Commerce)
- SBA Regional Administrator, Allen Thomas
- SBA South Carolina Deputy District Director Michael Corp
Administrator Guzman and local leadership will tour the Women’s Business Center located at Benedict College: one of three in South Carolina (and eight nationwide) located on the campus of a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). She will also participate in a roundtable discussion with local community leaders, Community Navigators, small businesses, and small business resource partners to discuss current SBA initiatives, the Community Navigator Program, the current business environment, and the resources available.
Richburg, SC 29729
- SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman
- Francisco Sanchez, Associate Administrator, SBA Office of Disaster Assistance
- Kendall Corley, SBA Deputy Chief of Staff
- Warren Miller, Senior Advisor, SBA Office of Disaster Assistance
Administrator Guzman will tour IBHS and discuss the impact of Climate Change on the nation. She will be accompanied by SBA leadership from SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance. Severe weather disrupts lives, displaces families, and drives financial loss. IBHS translates science into action creating a backbone for communities to better survive a natural disaster.
For more information about bus tour stops, National Small Business Week, and other event information, visit www.sba.gov/NSBW. Media interested in scheduling interviews with Administrator Guzman should contact lola.kress@sba.gov. or 404.330.4737
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About Benedict College
Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution, offering 26 competitive baccalaureate degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from all 46 counties in South Carolina, 30 states across America, and 26 countries around the world.
Benedict offers several high-demand fields of study in STEM, Cyber Security, Mass Communication, Sport Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Computer Science, Biology, and Education. The College also has a diverse faculty and importantly, 80 percent of courses are taught by full-time faculty.
Over the past ten years, three out of five Benedict College graduates have attended professional or graduate schools. There are over 18,000 proud Benedict Tigers throughout the nation. Benedict College has been a community leader for over 150-years and is a significant contributor to South Carolina and the region. Contributing $130 million and 1,218 jobs in total local and annual economic impact, a Benedict graduate working full-time throughout his or her working life can expect to earn $1.1 million in additional income because of their Benedict College degree.
The College made front-page news in the spring of 2018 when it became the first South Carolina college to lower its tuition by 26 percent. Cutting tuition drew praise from the Commission on Higher Education, South Carolina’s education oversight body. The commissioner noted that the move Benedict College made should be applauded because it offers families affordability and students greater access to higher education.
Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications. For example, Benedict College was ranked as one of the top baccalaureate colleges in the nation by Washington Monthly magazine for creating social mobility and producing cutting-edge scholarship and research. In 2019, Benedict College received the 2019 ACE/ Fidelity Investments Awards for Institutional Transformation and was named the HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest.
Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Five of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: The School of Education, Social Work, Environmental Health Science, Arts and Sciences, and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
About National Small Business Week
For nearly 60 years, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year. As part of National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration takes the opportunity to highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and others from all 50 states and U.S. territories. Every day they are working to grow small businesses, create 21st-century jobs, drive innovation, and increase America’s global competitiveness.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
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