The JP UPdate: Senator Duckworth and JP Advance New SBA Bill

Katie ArnoldThe JP UP date

Senator Duckworth and Justine PETERSEN Advance New SBA Bill

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth recently announced legislation that would expand the current Small Business Administration (SBA) Microloan Program, allowing small businesses further access to safe and affordable capital necessary to grow, expand and create jobs in communities across America. The Microloan Program Expansion Act of 2019 seeks to assist small businesses that have been overlooked by traditional commercial lenders, particularly women, veterans, low-income and minority entrepreneurs.
Duckworth’s press release highlighted a Justine PETERSEN microloan client success story, Trudy Daly of Murphysboro, Illinois, who has opened “Officer’s Residence Bed and Breakfast Inn” along the Shawnee Wine Trail. Sheri Flanigan-Vazquez, Chief Operating Officer at Justine PETERSEN, was also quoted in the press release, stating “We appreciate Senator Duckworth introducing the Microloan Program Enhancement Act of 2019, which would significantly improve the program, providing more resources and removing barriers microlenders currently face in serving harder to reach communities and borrowers most in need of the resources to start their own dream business like Trudy.”

 


JP Participates in Granite City, IL CEO Program’s Annual Shark Tank Competition

Granite City High School is teeming with budding entrepreneurs! And such is manifested at the annual Shark Tank Competition held as part of the Granite City CEO Program. Everything from guitars made out of cigar boxes to apparel affixed with plastic Easter eggs was showcased and pitched from young and creative business people of the future. Senior Toby Jones won first place with his business “Flippin’ Lures,” which offers hand crafted lures specific for bass and crappie fishing. Galen Gondolfi of Justine PETERSEN returned as one of the judges for the competition, serving alongside local business people and small business practitioners. The event was sponsored by the Metro East Small Business Development (SBDC) at SIUE and hosted at Chestnut Health Systems in Granite C

 

 


Upcoming Lunch N Learn at JP Focuses on Succession Planning for Small Businesses

Join Justine PETERSEN for our monthly Lunch N Learn on Monday, May 20 from 12-1:30 pm. Penney Fields-Burnett from AAA Missouri will present on succession planning for small businesses. You will learn that success planning is a process for identifying and developing new leaders who replace old leaders when they leave, retire or die. In business, succession planning entails developing internal people with the potential to fill key business leadership positions in a company. Succession planning can be an important way to identify employees who have the current skills – or the potential to develop skills – that can help move them up in an organization or on to other positions. Reserve your spot and RSVP today at 314.533.2411 or at Eventbrite. A light lunch will be served.
The Justine PETERSEN Lunch N Learn series is financed in part through an allocation of Community Development Block Grant funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the City of St. Louis’ Community Development Administration.

 


Give STL Day is Only Two Weeks Away!

Justine PETERSEN creatively finances creativity. Be it a florist, a t-shirt designer or an author, JP provides small business owners a chance to achieve their dreams by providing access to capital, business technical assistance and credit building counseling. By donating on Give STL Day to Justine PETERSEN, you are helping your community thrive through local entrepreneurship.

Visit www.givestlday.org/justinepetersen to pre-schedule your donation today!