Eric Ness, district director, U.S. Small Business Administration
Name: Eric Ness
Title: District Director
Company: U. S. Small Business Administration
City of Residence: New Berlin, Wisconsin
Family: Married to Beverly, with one son, Jared.
What’s new at your agency this year? "I’m very excited that SBA has named Milwaukee as one of 11 cities nationwide to participate in SBA’s Emerging 200 initiative. The initiative is to stimulate jobs and growth that targets promising inner-city small businesses. Twenty small businesses in Milwaukee will be selected who are poised for growth. They will participate in an intensive and comprehensive curriculum focused on developing winning, local strategies and attracting capital to fuel growth. They will have the opportunity to work with experienced mentors, attend workshops and develop connections with banks and the private equity community. Currently, SBA is assertively planning the kickoff media event of the Emerging 200 Initiative in Milwaukee."
How does the market look to you? "Presently statewide we have made 1-percent more SBA loans this year then last. SBA’s loan program guarantees small business loans up to 85 percent made by lenders, so lenders can consider loans that they may otherwise not do without the guaranty. Nationally, the amount of SBA loans is down. Our challenge is to make sure that small businesses get the financing they need to start and grow, so we are talking with lenders about SBA programs and getting feedback on how we can do more. I also want to make sure small businesses know about the SBA loan programs. When the economy tightens up, SBA loan programs are even more important in getting financing to small businesses. For small businesses, cash flow is being made even more of a challenge now with energy prices up. The length of terms of an SBA loan can help lower payments and free up cash flow."
What was the best investment/client/project you’ve been involved with? "Every year SBA does over 2,000 loans to small business in the State of Wisconsin, so there are many great stories. Just thinking of a couple that are award winners, my thought is Allen Edmond Shoes and of course we have done hundreds of loans to Culvers Restaurants, which I support on a weekly basis with a double Butter Burger with a medium butterscotch shake.
What was the funniest or most interesting moment of your career? "I was flying to Eau Claire to meet with a lender a number of years ago in a single-engine plane when we had engine problems which caused us to fly low. Since we couldn’t get high enough to get on radar we couldn’t find the airport in Eau Claire, which was quite concerning. After what seemed like an hour of seeing a lot of trees, I saw the Leinenkugel’s Brewery in Chippewa Falls, which we used to find the airport. I guess that Leinie saved my life."
