Regional SBA head attends R.I. event

NEWPORT – Representatives of lending institutions from across the Northeast will attend a two-day training conference today and tomorrow sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
Also expected to attend are high-ranking SBA officials from Washington, D.C., and Boston, including the new SBA regional administrator.
Jeanne Hulit, who takes over as SBA regional administrator based in Boston on Tuesday, is scheduled to speak then at the event. Ana Ma, chief of staff of the SBA in Washington, D.C., and Esther Vassar, national ombudsman for the SBA, are also slated to address the gathering at the Hyatt Regency Newport on Goat Island.
Normand T. Deragon, public information officer for the SBA in Providence, said 400 people are expected to attend the conference, which he said is not open to the public because the event is essentially a training session for financial lenders and all spaces are filled. Among those attending will be SBA lenders, SBA staff, SBA attorneys and small-business owners.
Vassar, however, will lead a roundtable discussion on federal compliance and enforcement regulations from 10 a.m. to noon tomorrow that local small-business representatives are invited to attend, Deragon said.
“Any small-business owner who feels that he or she has been unfairly fined or penalized by a federal government agency, or has a federal enforcement action imminent, should plan to attend the roundtable,” he said. Registration for the roundtable begins at 9:30 a.m. To pre-register, e-mail virginia.thimas@sba.gov or call (401) 528-4561.
Vassar will describe the functions and responsibilities of the Office of National Ombudsman, which assists small businesses when they experience excessive or unfair federal regulatory actions, such as repetitive audits or excessive fines. Vassar reports only to President Obama, Deragon said. In some cases, her actions have resulted in the reduction or waiving of penalties and/or compliance actions, he said.
Others scheduled to speak at the conference include Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, Lt. Gov. Elizabeth H. Roberts and Edward M. Mazze, distinguished professor of business administration at the University of Rhode Island.
Hulit, who replaces Sandford “Sandy” Blitz as regional administrator, has served as senior vice president for commercial lending at Citizens Bank in Portland, Maine, since 2002. She also served as vice president for Key Bank National Association for 10 years and deputy director of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development for four years. She is in charge of SBA programs in the New England states.