In a city frequently maligned for having too many regulatory hoops to jump through, a conference held Thursday sought to clear some of those hurdles and encourage Savannah’s small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
About 250 people convened at the Civic Center to listen, learn and network with each other at the Mayor’s Small Business Conference, now in its eighth year.
This year’s conference was themed “Taking Your Business to the Next Level” and featured workshops, panel discussions and a keynote address by Hurley S. “Trey” Cook III, CEO of Savannah Tire and Rubber Co.
At one of the first workshops of the day, Terri Denison, Georgia district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration, said the average loan size had actually crept up in recent years, both nationally and statewide, but that shouldn’t deter those who might seek smaller amounts.
“It’s always my goal to encourage more lending activity here in Savannah because I think there’s just so much going on with the economy and energy around small business,” said Denison. “We’re definitely working with our lending partners to make that happen.”
Denison’s organization, which backs SBA Loans, encouraged attendees to reach out to an alphabet-soup of local organizations such as the Small Business Assistance Corp. (SBAC), Coastal Area District Development Authority (CADDA) and business coaching group SCORE.
Tiwana Brown said it was her second year attending the conference. Brown runs a business called Keeping America Beautiful and is a local sales representative for Avon cosmetics and Plexus Worldwide weight-loss products.
“I came to network with people to see what’s going on and to see how I could grow my business,” said Brown.
She described herself a serial entrepreneur and said she hopes to expand into other beauty and wellness lines once her business is well rooted.
Stephen George, vice president of the SBAC, said his organization offers 13 different loan programs for small businesses and has made nearly 441 loans totaling $50.6 million to qualified borrowers.
He said some of the recipients of these small-business loans include home-grown success stories such as local pet store TailsSpin and Lulu’s Chocolate Bar. Those stories are often overlooked in the media, he said.
“Big stories like Mr. (Ben) Carter coming in and investing millions of dollars, SCAD expanding every year all make great press — suck up all the air in the room — but for years it’s been the small business owners that have kept Savannah viable,” said George.
“These small business owners are the ones that should be written about and celebrated,” he said.