Former SBA Administrator Hector V. Barreto to Deliver Keynote
Address
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The Travelers
Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies,
Inc. (NYSE: TRV),
today will hold the second event of its 2015 Small Business – Big
Opportunity national symposia series in Irvine, Calif. The event
will focus on cybersecurity in partnership with Small Business
California, the Orange County Small Business Development Center (SBDC),
the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Santa Ana District Office,
the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Federation of
Independent Business/California. Hector V. Barreto, Chairman of The
Latino Coalition and former Administrator of the SBA, will deliver the
keynote address.
“We are pleased to continue the Small Business – Big Opportunity series
in Irvine, an area with a flourishing and diverse local economy,” said
Joan Woodward, President of the Travelers Institute and Executive Vice
President of Public Policy at Travelers. “Our partnership with national
and local business leaders offers an educational forum for Irvine’s
entrepreneurs to learn about cybersecurity threats, among other small
business challenges, and strategies to help prevent, mitigate, and
manage a cyber-attack.”
In addition to cybersecurity, speakers will provide tips for accessing
capital and building a business continuity plan. The panel will feature:
- Michael Echols, Director, Joint Program Management Office, National
Protection and Program Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland
Security;
- Leila Mozaffari, Director, Orange County Small Business Development
Center;
- Matt Petteruto, Vice President, Economic Development, Orange County
Business Council; and
- Jim Waterhouse, President, Spectrum Risk Management & Insurance.
Barreto’s Latino Coalition recognizes that Hispanic Americans are a
major force in the small business sector with three million plus
Latino-owned companies countrywide. He added, “The challenges facing
small business owners today are significant, but starting and running
your own business is still the embodiment of the American Dream. In the
Latino community, the dream is alive and growing, and we want to keep
fueling it with the things business owners need to thrive – the ‘four
C’s’ – capital, contracts, counsel, and cost control.”
Given the importance of small businesses to the national
economy—especially as a driver for creating and sustaining jobs—the
Travelers Institute believes public policies should encourage
entrepreneurship. Launched in 2011, the Travelers Institute’s small
business advocacy project, Small Business – Big Opportunity,
helps promote small business success by bringing business owners across
the country together with industry advocates to explore solutions to
their everyday challenges.
To learn more about the series, and Travelers’ small business advocacy,
visit: www.travelersinstitute.org/smallbusiness.
About Small Business California
Small Business California
(SB Cal) is a proactive non-partisan business advocacy organization
whose only agenda is the wellbeing of California small businesses.
Working for all California small businesses, SB Cal is responsive to the
needs of California small businesses.
About Orange County Small Business Development Center
The
Orange County Small Business Development Center (SBDC), an economic
development program of Rancho Santiago Community College District
(RSCCD), is partially supported by the U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA), the California State University, Fullerton, and
the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. The Orange County
SBDC is a one-stop source for business development, expansion
strategies, international trade, contracting opportunities, and access
to capital.
About U.S. Small Business Administration Santa Ana District Office
As
the senior voice for small business, the U.S. Small Business
Administration helps Americans start, build, and grow businesses that
create jobs and power our economy forward. Since 1953, the SBA has
delivered millions of loans, loan guarantees, contracts, counseling
sessions, and other forms of assistance to small businesses. The Santa
Ana District Office is the nation’s No. 2 lending office, supporting
over $1.3 billion in access to capital last fiscal year.
About National Federation of Independent Business/California
For
more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has
been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to
the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB annually
surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival
as America's economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. NFIB’s
educational mission is to remind policymakers that small businesses are
not smaller versions of bigger businesses; they have very different
challenges and priorities. To learn more visit www.NFIB.com/california.
About The Travelers Institute
The Travelers
Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies,
Inc., engages in discussion and analysis of public policy topics of
importance to the insurance marketplace and the financial services
industry more broadly. The Travelers Institute draws upon the industry
expertise of Travelers’ senior management, as well as the technical
expertise of many of Travelers’ underwriters, risk managers, and other
experts to provide information, analysis, and solutions to public
policymakers and regulators. Travelers is a leading provider of property
casualty insurance for auto,
home,
and business.
For more information, visit www.Travelers.com.
Media Contact:
The Travelers Companies, Inc.
Luke
Shane, 860-277-4090
lshane@travelers.com
or
Judy
Senechal, 860-338-1384
jlsenech@travelers.com
Source: The Travelers Companies, Inc.