U.S. Small Business Administration • Alaska Edition

Resource Guide for

Small Business

2016-2017

Celebrating 

a Resource 

Partner 

Milestone

page 6

PAGE 

8 Counseling

PAGE

16 Capital

PAGE

31 Contracting
Advertising

Phone: 863-294-2812 • 800-274-2812

Fax: 863-299-3909 • www.sbaguides.com

Staff

President/CEO

Joe Jensen jjensen@reni.net

English/Spanish Small Business Resource 

Advertising

Nicky Roberts nroberts@reni.net

Martha Theriault mtheriault@reni.net

Kenna Rogers krogers@reni.net

Production

Diane Traylor dtraylor@reni.net

SBA’s Marketing Office:

The Small Business Resource Guide is published 

under the direction of SBA’s Office of Marketing and 

Customer Service.

Director of Marketing

Paula Panissidi

paula.panissidi@sba.gov

Graphic Design

Gary Shellehamer

gary.shellehamer@sba.gov

SBA’s participation in this publication is not an 

endorsement of the views, opinions, products or 

services of the contractor or any advertiser or other 

participant appearing herein. All SBA programs 

and services are extended to the public on a 

nondiscriminatory basis.

Printed in the United States of America

While every reasonable effort has been made 

to ensure that the information contained herein 

is accurate as of the date of publication, the 

information is subject to change without notice. 

The contractor that publishes this guide, the federal 

government, or agents thereof shall not be held 

liable for any damages arising from the use of 

or reliance on the information contained in this 

publication.

SBA Publication # MCS-0018

This publication is provided under SBA Contract 

# SBAHQ05C0014.

Reni Publishing

Publishers of Small Business Resource

2 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

SMALL BUSINESS content

2016-2017 ALASKA

FEATURES

3 Introduction

 3 Administrator’s Message

 4 Regional Administrator and 

 District Director’s Message

6 Feature Article

 Celebrating a Resource Partner

 Milestone

8 Counseling

 Getting Help to Start Up, Market 

 and Manage Your Business

 8 SBA Resource Partners

 10 SBA’s Learning Center

 11 Reaching Underserved 

 Communities

 13 Serving Those Who Served

 Our Country

 14 Are You Right for Small 

 Business Ownership?

 15 Writing a Business Plan

 

16 Capital

 Financing Options to Start or 

Grow Your Business

 16 SBA Business Loans

 18 What to Take to the Lender

 25 Surety Bond Guarantee 

 Program

 25 Small Business Investment 

 Company Program

 

 25 Small Business Innovation 

 Research Program

 26 Small Business Technology 

 Transfer Program

 28 SBA Loan Program Chart

 30 SBA Lenders Program Chart

31 Contracting

 Applying for Government 

 Contracts

 31 How Government Contracting 

 Works

 32 SBA Contracting Programs

 35 Getting Started in Contracting

37 Disaster Assistance

 Knowing the Types of Assistance

 Available for Recovery

39 Advocacy and Ombudsman

 Watching Out for Small Business 

Interests

40 Additional Resources

 Taking Care of Start Up Logistics

 42 Business Organization: 

 Choosing your Structure

45 Other Assistance

48 Lender Listing 

On the Cover: 

Evangeline Conley, Owner

Greek Goddess Products

See story on page 49.
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 3

FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR

The U.S. Small Business Administration

I am proud to hold the seat in the President’s 

cabinet responsible for helping America’s Mom 

& Pop businesses grow and scale up. At the 

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), 

we are committed to empowering potential 

entrepreneurs and small business owners 

like you who help drive America’s economy. 

In today’s competitive global landscape, 

small businesses face major opportunities 

and challenges. The SBA is here to help 

with capital, counseling, contracts, and loan 

assistance after a natural disaster. But our work 

doesn’t happen alone. Just like any seasoned 

entrepreneur can tell you, effective partnerships 

are pivotal to an organization’s success.

That’s why we have dedicated resource 

partners located in close proximity to virtually 

every community in America. These partners 

amplify the support SBA offers through oneon-one counseling, training and mentorship. 

This issue of our resource guide spotlights 

the 35th anniversary of our Small Business 

Development Centers. SBDCs are the most 

comprehensive small business assistance 

network in the world, serving America’s 

urban centers, rural towns and underserved 

communities. They are hosted by universities 

and economic development agencies, and 

funded in part through cooperative agreements 

with SBA. 

Small business owners and aspiring 

entrepreneurs can go to one of the more than 

940 SBDC service locations throughout the 

United States and its territories to obtain free 

professional counseling from qualified business 

advisors. These SBDC advisors have expertise 

and can consult with you about how to write a 

successful business plan, obtain capital, market 

your business, manage your working capital, 

obtain a government contract, and export to 

the billions of consumers who live outside of 

our borders.

My personal commitment to help SBA serve 

America’s small businesses is rooted in my 

own entrepreneurial experience. Before taking 

on the leadership of SBA, I started three small 

businesses, including a community bank 

that specialized in small business lending. I 

understand firsthand the sacrifice, struggle 

and strength that entrepreneurs muster 

every single day to sustain their vision. My 

success depended on my ability to seek out 

knowledgeable and trusted counselors. I 

wish I knew then what I know now: SBA and 

its resource partners offer the services and 

mentorship that can help you propel your 

business.

I encourage you to leverage the partnerships 

SBA and SBDC offer. Consult this resource 

guide for more information and visit 

www.sba.gov/ tools/local-assistance/sbdc to 

find your local center.

After all, our business is to empower yours.

Sincerely,

Maria Contreras-Sweet

Administrator

U.S. Small Business Administration

Finding Your Partner

for Success
Message From The District Leadership Team

The U.S. Small Business 

Administration (SBA) has 

many programs and services 

available to business owners and 

entrepreneurs. This resource 

guide is a perfect example and 

will provide an overview of 

SBA’s core programs that work 

arm-in-arm with Main Street 

small businesses to grow and 

create jobs, and in the process, 

strengthen our communities.

Our focus at the SBA is to help 

small business start, grow and 

succeed. To accomplish that core 

mission, the SBA focuses on what 

we like to call the “three C’s” of 

capital, contracts and counseling. 

Our network of 14,000 SBAaffiliated counselors assist 

thousands of small businesses 

each day with anything from 

creating a startup to succession 

planning. And, through our 

business development and 

certification programs, small 

businesses earned billions of 

dollars in federal contracts.

This work is critical to our nation’s 

prosperity. We know that roughly 

two out of every three jobs 

created in America come from 

small businesses, and more than 

half of all working Americans 

either own or work for a small 

business. Our nation’s history is 

full of individuals who dared to be 

innovative and entrepreneurial. 

SBA is ready to help you add your 

name to the list.

In addition to the helpful 

information in this guide, I invite 

you to be a part of our growing 

online community. Visit our 

website sba.gov and get updates 

on our Twitter (twitter.com/

SBAPacificNW) site.

If you have any questions or want 

additional information, please 

visit our website, call us, or pay a 

visit to the Alaska District Office. 

We are ready to help in any way 

possible.

Warm regards,

Calvin W. Goings

Regional Administrator

Sam J. Dickey

District Director of 

SBA’s Alaska District Office

Calvin W. 

Goings

Regional 

Administrator

Sam J. 

Dickey

District 

Director

Greetings!

www.sba.gov/ak

ALASKA

SBA Staff Listing

District Director

Sam Dickey

907-271-4844

sam.dickey@sba.gov

Deputy District Director

Marichu Relativo

907-271-4861

marichu.relativo@sba.gov 

District Support Assistant

Yolanda Staples-Lassiter

907-271-4842

yolanda.lassiter@sba.gov 

Economic Development 

Specialists

Joyce Courtney

907-271-4837

joyce.courtney@sba.gov 

Business Opportunity 

Specialist 

Bihag Clark

907-271-4850

bihag.clark@sba.gov 

Business Opportunity 

Specialist/Veterans 

Representative

James Webb

907-271-4841 

james.webb2@sba.gov

Business Opportunity 

Specialist

Charles Niemann

907-271-4532

charles.niemann@sba.gov

Lender Relations 

Specialist

Nelida Irvine

907-271-4027

nelida.irvine@sba.gov 

FAIRBANKS OFFICE

Senior Area Manager, 

Northern Alaska

Scott Swingle

2175 University Ave. S., 

Ste. 201A

Fairbanks, AK 99709

907-474-4878

907-474-4879 Fax

scott.swingle@sba.gov

OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT 

CONTRACTING

Procurement Center 

Representative

Marian Taylor

907-271-2297

marian.taylor@sba.gov

Alaska District Office

Anchorage

420 L St., Ste. 300

Anchorage, AK 99501

907-271-4022 • 800-755-7034 Toll Free

907-271-4545 Fax

We Welcome Your

Questions

For extra copies of this publication or 

questions please contact:

Alaska District Office

420 L Street, Suite 300

Anchorage, AK 99501

Tel: 907-271-4022 Fax: 907-271-4545

Website: www.sba.gov/ak

4 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak
Alaska Center for Natural Medicine is a 

physical therapeutic natural health clinic that 

is composed of practitioners with a variety 

of specialties. Practitioners use Naturopathic 

primary care medicine, acupuncture, 

chiropractic, massage, counseling, and other 

modalities to treat health problems.

The health professionals at Alaska Center for 

Natural Medicine utilize laboratory test findings 

and physical exams in addition to a wide array 

of diagnostic tools to address and treat patients’ 

health issues. Once identified, their team works 

together to create a treatment plan directed 

towards specific healthcare needs to help 

patients reach their full health potential.

Heather Carmichael has been involved in 

natural medicine, primarily acupuncture, since 

1993. She was the Clinic Director at Southwest 

College of Naturopathic Medicine from 1997 

to 2000 and headed its acupuncture program. 

Carmichael moved to Fairbanks in 2000 to start 

a natural health practice. She became co-owner 

of the Holistic Medical Clinic. In 2003 Scott 

Luper and Carmichael sold their portion of the 

clinic and opened Alaska Center for Natural 

Medicine. Since that time they have more than 

doubled their employees from 10 to 23. The 

business revenues increased 73 percent the 

first year, 12 percent the second year and have 

continued on a solid growth pattern since. 

Heather’s strong relationship with her banker 

and business community combined with their 

ACNM’s success earned her the SBA’s Small 

Business Woman of the Year award in 2007.

Scott Luper, ND, worked in restaurants as 

a youth and during college. After college he 

taught science and health at a junior high school 

for two years. After medical school he taught 

histology, anatomy, embryology and laboratory 

diagnosis before becoming the Chairman 

of Diagnostics at the Southwest College of 

Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Arizona. 

In 2000 Scott moved to Fairbanks seeking to 

own his own clinic in a place where he could 

make a difference. Doctor Luper started as a 

general practitioner, but now treats patients 

with autoimmune disease, cancer, heart disease, 

allergies, depression, and endocrine disease. 

Scott’s true expertise is in finding and treating 

the underlying cause of the illness. “I trust in 

the ability of people to heal once the true cause 

of an illness is found and overcome. My job as 

a physician is to find the cause and supply the 

treatment and the knowledge that will remove 

or compensate for the cause. True healing is in 

our nature,” said Scott Luper.

In 2009 Scott and Heather realized they had 

hit the ceiling for growth in their current 

building and began looking for a new location 

to expand. Shortly after the search began, 

they found the perfect property, but due to 

DEC issues and lender requirements and 

improvements needed to the building, it 

wasn’t until September 2010 that they actually 

completed the project and could move in. “First 

National Bank of Alaska has been fabulous 

to work with since the beginning. We have 

worked with a few different loan officers while 

at First National and all of them have been a 

tremendous help,” said Heather Carmichael. 

Buying and renovating the new building was 

a huge expense and commitment; however, 

First National Bank of Alaska partnered with 

Evergreen Business Capital and the U.S. Small 

Business Administration’s 504 Community 

Development Loan Program to seal the deal.

The SBA 504 Loan program is a powerful 

economic development loan program that 

offers small businesses another avenue for 

business financing while promoting business 

growth and job creation. In FY2015 the Alaska 

District Office processed 24 504 loans totaling 

$19.1 Million dollars. This program is a proven 

success and win-win-win for small businesses, 

the community and participating lenders.

The 504 Loan Program provides approved small 

businesses with long-term, fixed-rate financing 

used to acquire fixed assets for expansion or 

modernization. 504 loans are made available 

through Certified Development Companies 

(CDCs) such as Evergreen Business Capitol, 

SBA’s community based partners for providing 

504 Loans.

Scott and Heather’s vision for the new larger 

facility was realized in 2010 as it ushered in 

a new level of efficiency, team work and an 

overall healthy place to work and treat patients. 

In December 2012 the team enjoyed their record 

day ever of accounts receivables, although 

both owners agree that the best days are when 

patients get better and receive a clean bill of 

health.

In a town that sees temperatures dipping below 

-40 much of the winter accompanied by several 

months of darkness, it is truly wonderful to 

have such a great natural healing team and 

facility here to help.

THE ALAKSA DISTRICT OFFICE

The Alaska District Office is responsible 

for the delivery of SBA’s many programs 

and services. The District Director is Sam 

Dickey. The District Office is located at 

420 L St., Ste. 300, Anchorage, AK 99501. 

Office hours are from 8:00 AM until 

4:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

CONTACTING THE ALASKA 

DISTRICT OFFICE

For information about SBA financing, 

government contracting assistance, and 

other SBA programs and services, or to 

invite someone to speak to your group, 

please call 907-271-4022 or visit our 

web site at: www.sba.gov/ak. 

SERVICES AVAILABLE

Financial assistance for new or existing 

businesses through guaranteed loans 

made by area bank and non-bank 

lenders.

Free counseling, advice and information 

on starting, better operating or expanding 

a small business is available through 

the SBA and our Resource Partners, 

including the Alaska Small Business 

Development Center (SBDC), SCORE 

Counselors to America’s Small Business. 

Free and low-cost small business training 

events are offered around the state by the 

SBA and its Resource Partners.

Through the 8(a) Business Development 

Program, assistance is available to 

help small businesses owned and 

controlled by socially and economically 

disadvantaged individuals to compete 

in the American economy and access the 

federal procurement market.

Veteran Representative are available to 

assist veterans. Please contact 

James Webb at 907 271-4841 

email: james.webb2@sba.gov 

Doing Business in Alaska

The SBA helps business 

owners grow and expand 

their businesses every day.

SUCCESS STORY

Alaska Center for 

Natural Medicine

Owners: Heather Carmichael 

and Scott Luper

Before After

Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 5
6 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

FEATURE

If you’re a small business owner, 

whether you’re just starting out or have 

been in business for a while, you’re 

likely wearing multiple hats...So many 

hats, in fact, that it’s very easy to miss 

the little successes along your journey 

as an entrepreneur. Those milestones 

give us perspective and, often, a sense 

of accomplishment. They allow us to 

see just how far we’ve come. So, it’s 

important to celebrate them.

Hiring your first employee. The first 

month you made a profit. Getting your 

first huge client or public endorsement. 

Securing that first loan so you can 

expand your business. Opening 

that second location. These are all 

important milestones, but many years 

in the future these milestones will 

also help you gauge the impact you’ve 

made...whether on an individual, in a 

community, or globally.

It is with this appreciation for milestones 

in mind that we recognize the 35th 

anniversary of the Small Business 

Development Center (SBDC) program. 

Funded in part through cooperative 

agreements with the SBA, SBDCs offer 

existing and future entrepreneurs free 

business counseling and planning 

assistance, as well as insight and 

guidance with respect to several special 

focus areas, such as green business 

technology, disaster preparedness 

and recovery, veteran’s assistance, 

technology transfer, and regulatory 

compliance. And, with more than 

900 locations throughout the country, 

Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, 

and the U.S. Virgin Islands, SBDCs 

are unparalleled in their reach as 

a professional business counseling 

network. 

In recognition of the tremendous 

contribution SBDCs have made and 

continue to make to the growth and 

sustainability of America’s small 

businesses, this edition of SBA’s Small 

Business Resource Guide is dedicated to 

America’s Small Business Development 

Centers. The next several pages profile 

just a handful of the small businesses 

that have succeeded, in large part, due 

to the assistance they received from 

an SBDC. We hope these stories both 

inspire and motivate you to pursue the 

path of entrepreneurship.

To learn more about Small Business 

Development Centers, please read the 

Counseling section of this resource guide. 

To find the nearest SBDC, visit 

www.sba.gov and click on the Local 

Assistance tab. 

Celebrating a Resource 

Partner Milestone 

by Paula Panissidi, SBA’s Director of Marketing
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 7

SUCCESS STORY

Cold Spot Feeds - Conquering The World From the Back of a Station Wagon

Connie Core-Dubay

Owner

In 1986, Connie Core-Dubay 

had her hands full with four 

young kids. She didn’t want 

to send them to day care and 

couldn’t afford it anyway. The 

family income was waning 

as the pipeline construction 

days were coming to a close 

and she was looking for 

something she could do from 

home while raising a family. 

After lots of thought and research she came up with the 

idea to sell feed specifically to dog mushers. Cold Spot 

Feeds was born! From a humble beginning selling dog 

food from the back of her station wagon, she listened 

to what the mushers needed and rose to the occasion 

adding harnesses, collar clips, and other mushing gear. 

This was the birth of one of the first suppliers geared 

expressly to dog mushers. Operating out of the same 

small bedroom where her son was born, the infant 

business grew, quickly overflowing into the garage. 

“It hit me one day when George Attla and Harry 

Southerland, both legendary dog mushers, were in 

my small room talking, and no one was taking care of 

these folks, what an opportunity!” Connie credits the 

business’s success to finding a niche and then taking 

a risk at just the right time. In 1992 it was announced 

that a series of internationally sanctioned dogsled points 

races would be held in Alaska during the 1993 season. 

The business took on its first loan, expanding out of 

the garage into a real storefront built on the family’s 

property next to the existing operation in the house. 

The paint was still wet when the flood of mushers from 

around the world started arriving in Fairbanks. The 

gamble paid off in a significant way giving Cold Spot 

Feeds credibility and prestige amongst their peers. This 

exposure to more than 200 mushers from around the 

world had the wonderful ripple effect of a new sideline 

to their business--mail order. After returning home, 

many of the international mushers called back to Cold 

Spot Feeds for supplies, great products, good service, 

and knowledge that catered to their needs. 1997 would 

prove to test Connie’s strength both as a person and as 

a business owner as unresolved conflicts forced her to 

buy out her partner and mentally and financially start 

all over. Stepping back to take a good look at her life 

and business situation Connie did what she does best-

-analyze her business’s strengths and weaknesses. She 

focused on setting up the internal systems that would 

bring the quickly growing business into the next century. 

In 1999, coldspotfeeds.com became a favorite bookmark 

for many customers around the world as the business 

was catapulted into the realm of e-commerce. Soon they 

were faced with another expansion problem as they 

once again outgrew their current space. 

In 2003, Cold Spot Feeds made another bold move, 

changing locations to a larger facility and diversifying 

into other pet supplies, serving the larger pet owning 

community along with dog mushers. The move was 

welcomed by both mushers and pet owners with open 

arms and open pockets. 

Connie has triumphed through adversity and though 

it was far from easy, she has built a successful business 

while raising a family. She is proud of this and is very 

generous of her time with other women seeking to get 

into business. Connie encourages all business owners, 

not just those getting started, to use the excellent 

resources available to them. The Small Business 

Development Center, one of the U.S. Small Business 

Administration’s programs, “is an unlimited resource, 

they have a large spectrum of resources available for 

everyone, not just for new businesses. The SBDC has 

been great to use as a confidential sounding board 

for new ideas and problems.” Attitude is everything, 

and Connie has the right one, saying: “I wake up 

every morning happy to go to work. The constant 

challenges and the uniqueness of the Alaskan people 

are challenging and rewarding. Until it’s not, I’ll keep 

working!” Connie Core-Dubay is the 2016 U.S. Small 

Business Administration’s Alaska Small Business Person 

of the Year. Cold Spot Feeds has grown from a spare 

bedroom to a more than 22,000 square foot storefront 

that employs 28 people, a trajectory that’s followed the 

popularity of mushing worldwide.
8 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

COUNSELING

Every year, the U.S. Small 

Business Administration 

and its nationwide network 

of resource partners help 

millions of potential and 

existing small business owners start, 

grow and succeed.

Whether your target market is global 

or local, the SBA and its resource 

partners can help at every stage of 

turning your entrepreneurial dream 

into a thriving business.

If you’re just starting out, the SBA 

and its resources can help you with 

business and financing plans. If you’re 

already in business, you can use 

the SBA’s resources to help manage 

and expand your business, obtain 

government contracts, recover from 

disaster, find foreign markets for your 

produce or services, and make your 

voice heard in the federal government.

You can access SBA information at 

www.sba.gov or visit one of our local 

offices for assistance.

SBA’S RESOURCE 

PARTNERS

 In addition to our district offices, 

which serve every state and territory, 

the SBA works with a variety of local 

resource partners to meet your small 

business needs: SCORE chapters, 

Small Business Development Centers 

(SBDCs), and Women’s Business 

Centers (WBCs). This partner network 

reaches into communities across 

America: More than 13,000 business 

counselors, mentors and trainers 

are available through over 320 

SCORE chapters, 900 Small Business 

Development Centers, and 110 Women’s 

Business Centers. These professionals 

can help with writing a formal business 

plan, locating sources of financial 

assistance, managing and expanding 

your business, finding opportunities 

to sell your goods or services to the 

government, and recovering from 

disaster. To find your local district office 

or SBA resource partner, visit 

www.sba.gov/tools/local-assistance. 

SCORE

SCORE is a national network of more 

than 11,000 entrepreneurs, business 

leaders and executives who volunteer as 

mentors to America’s small businesses. 

SCORE leverages decades of experience 

from seasoned business professionals 

to help small businesses start, grow 

companies and create jobs in local 

communities. SCORE does this by 

harnessing the passion and knowledge 

of individuals who have owned and 

managed their own businesses and 

want to share this “real world” expertise 

with you. With more than 320 offices 

throughout the country, SCORE 

provides key services both face-to-face 

and online to busy entrepreneurs who 

are just getting started or in need of 

an experienced business professional 

as a sounding board for their existing 

business. SCORE can help you as they 

have done for more than 10 million 

entrepreneurs and small business 

owners by matching your specific needs 

with a business mentor, traveling to 

your place of business for an on-site 

evaluation, and teaming with several 

SCORE mentors to provide you with 

tailored assistance in a number of 

business areas.

• SCORE mentors understand the 

needs and challenges of managing 

successful businesses because 

they’ve experienced them too. 

Most have owned and operated 

their own businesses or served 

in management positions for our 

nation’s top companies. 

• SCORE chapters provide business 

workshops and seminars on topics 

customized to the needs of the 

local business community. In 

all communities, SCORE offices 

advocate the need for business 

planning and offer an introduction 

to the fundamentals of a business 

plan.

• For established businesses, SCORE 

offers in-depth training on topics 

such as customer service, hiring 

practices, using the Internet for 

business, marketing, home-based 

business operations and many other 

issues. 

Since 1997, SCORE has offered a 

leading online business resource for 

entrepreneurs – www.score.org. This 

site is a comprehensive small business 

resource that includes SCORE’s 24/7 

email mentoring service. Entrepreneurs 

can use email mentoring available at 

www.score.org/mentors to search a 

database of hundreds of SCORE online 

• You get to be your own boss.

• Hard work and long hours directly benefit you, 

rather than increasing profits for someone else.

• Earnings and growth potential are unlimited.

• Running a business will provide endless

variety, challenge and opportunities to learn.

ON THE UPSIDE

It’s true, there are a lot of 

reasons not to start your 

own business. But for the 

right person, the advantages 

of business ownership far 

outweigh the risks.

COUNSELING

Getting Help to Start, Market and Manage Your Business
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 9

mentors with a combined knowledge of 

more than 600 business backgrounds.

For information on SCORE and to get 

your own business mentor, visit www.

sba.gov/score, go to www.score.org or call 

1-800-634-0245 for the SCORE office 

nearest you. 

SCORE Chapter 558

District 1084

420 L St., Ste. 300

Anchorage, AK 99501

Kathryn Dodge

Alaska SCORE District Director

907-474-6497 or 800-755-7034 Toll Free

907-271-4545 Fax

kathryn.dodge@scorevolunteer.org

www.score.org 

SMALL BUSINESS 

DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

 The U.S. Small Business 

Administration’s Small Business 

Development Centers (SBDC) mission 

is to build, sustain, and grow small 

businesses; promote small business 

development; and enhance local 

economies by creating businesses and 

fulfilling its mission of creating jobs. 

The SBDCs are vital to SBA’s 

entrepreneurial outreach and have been 

providing service to small businesses 

for over 35 years. It is one of the 

largest professional small business 

management and technical assistance 

networks in the nation. With over 900 

locations across the country, SBDCs 

offer existing and future entrepreneurs 

free one-on-one expert business 

counseling and low-cost training by 

qualified small business professionals.

 In addition to its core business 

development services, the SBDCs offer 

special focus areas such as disaster 

recovery and preparedness, technology 

transfer and commercialization, 

regulatory compliance, and accessing 

unique resources for women, minority, 

and veteran business owners and 

entrepreneurs. SBDCs have also 

increased their capacity to help U.S. 

entrepreneurs enter global markets 

through export readiness assessment, 

training, regulatory compliance and 

a broad range of international trade 

assistance for new and existing 

exporters. 

 The program combines a unique 

combination of federal, state and private 

sector resources to provide, in every 

state and territory, the foundation 

for the economic growth of small 

businesses. In FY2015 they: 

• Assisted more than 12,000 

entrepreneurs to start new 

businesses – equating to nearly 32 

new business starts per day.

• Provided counseling services and 

training services to over 549,000 

clients. 

• Raised more than 4.68 billion in 

capital infusion. 

 The efficacy of the SBDC program 

has been validated by a nationwide 

evaluation study. Of the clients 

surveyed, more than 80 percent 

reported that the business assistance 

they received from the SBDC counselor 

was worthwhile. The top five impacts of 

counseling cited by SBDC clients were 

revising marketing strategy, increasing 

sales, expanding products and services, 

improving cash flow and increasing 

profit margin. More than 40 percent 

of long-term clients who received five 

hours or more of counseling reported an 

increase in sales and profit margins. 

For information on the SBDC 

program, visit www.sba.gov/sbdc.

Alaska Small Business Development 

Center 

State Office

1901 Bragaw, Ste. 199 

Anchorage, AK 99508

907-786-7201 or 800-478-7232 Toll Free

907-786-5446 Fax 

aksbdc.org

Isaac Vanderburg, Executive Director

isaac vanderburg@aksbdc.org

Kendra Conroy, Database Manager 

kendra.conroy@aksbdc.org

Kristen Knight, Fiscal Technician

kristen.knight@aksbdc.org

Carolyn Lundberg, Fiscal Technician

purchasing@aksbdc.org

Lauren Riley, Director of Community 

Engagement 

laura.riley@aksbdc.org

Alaska Small Business Development 

Center

Fairbanks Center

3750 Bonita St

Fairbanks, AK 99701

907 456-7232 or 800-478-7232 Toll Free

907 456-7233 Fax

aksbdc.org

Russell Talvi, Center Director

russell.tavi@aksbdc.org

Alexis Fanelli, Business Advisor

alexis.fanelli@aksbdc.org

Adam Krynicki, Technology and Energy 

Director

adam.krynicki@aksbdc.org 

 

Alaska Small Business Development 

Center

Central Region

201 N. Lucille St., Ste. 2A

Wasilla, AK 99654 

907-373-7232 • 907-373-7234 Fax

www.aksbdc.org 

Julie Nolen, Central Region Director

julie.nolen@aksbdc.org

Anchorage Small Business Development 

Center

1901 Bragaw, Ste. 199

Anchorage, AK 99508

907-786-7201 or 800-478-7232 Toll Free

907-786-5446 Fax

aksbdc.org

Harley Hedlund, Office Services Coordinator

harley.hedlund@aksbdc.org

Allan Carraway, Business Advisor

allan.carraway@aksbdc.org

Ryan Gilbert, Business Advisor

ryan.gilbert@aksbdc.org

Alaska Small Business Development 

Center

South West Region 

43335 Kalifornsky Beach Rd., Ste. 12

Soldotna, AK 99669

907-260-5629 • 907-260-1695 Fax

www.aksbdc.org

Bryan Zak, South West Region Director

bryan.zak@aksbdc.org

Alaska Small Business Development 

Center

Juneau Office

9301 Glacier Hwy., Ste. 110

Juneau, AK 99801

907-463-3789 • 907-463-3430 Fax

www.aksbdc.org 

Ian Grant, Southeast Center Director

Ian.grant@aksbdc.org 

Alaska Small Business Development 

Center

Ketchikan Office

1900 1st Ave., Ste. 223

Ketchikan, AK 99901

907-225-1388 • 907-225-3186 Fax

Kimberlee Hayward, Ketchikan Center Dir.

kimberlee.hayward@aksbdc.org

ALASKA SMALL BUSINESS 

DEVELOPMENT CENTER’S PARTNER 

PROGRAMS:

Buy Alaska

1901 Bragaw, Ste. 199

Anchorage, AK 99508

907-786-7201 • 907-786-5446 Fax

buyalaska.com

Procurement Technical Assistance Center 

(PTAC)

Anchorage Center

1901 Bragaw, Ste. 199

Anchorage, AK 99508

907-786-7201 • 907-260-1695 Fax

www.ptacalaska.org

Carolyn Pratt, Program Manager

capratt@uaa.alaska.edu 

Procurement Technical Assistance Center 

(PTAC)

Fairbanks Center

3750 Bonita St.

Fairbanks, AK 99701

907-456-7232 or 800-478-1701 Toll Free

907-456-7233 Fax

Pierre Thompson, Contract Specialist 

pierre.thompson@aksbdc.org

COUNSELING
10 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

COUNSELING

Technology Research and Development 

Center (TREND)

3750 Bonita St

Fairbanks, AK 99701

907-456-7232 or 800-478-7232 Toll Free

907-456-7233 Fax

www.trendalaska.org

Adam Krynicki, Director

adam.krynicki@aksbdc.org 

U.S. Export Assistance Centers 

SBA trade finance specialists are 

co-located in 19 U.S. Export Assistance 

Centers throughout the U.S., with 

U.S. Department of Commerce and, in 

some locations, Export-Import Bank 

of the U.S. personnel. This multiple 

agency collaboration provided trade 

promotion and export-finance assistance 

in a single location. The USEACs 

also work closely with other federal, 

state and local international trade 

organizations to provide assistance to 

small businesses. To find your nearest 

USEAC, visit: http://www.sba.gov/content/

us-export-assistance-centers. You can 

find additional export training and 

counseling by contacting your local SBA 

district office. 

Leland Gibbs

Regional Manager 

International Trade Programs

U.S. Export Assistance Center

2001 6th Ave., Ste. 2610

Seattle, WA 98121

206-553-0051 • 206-553-7253 Fax

208-596-0950 Mobil

leland.gibbs@sba.gov

WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTERS

The SBA’s Women Business Center 

(WBC) program is a network of over 100 

community-based centers that provide 

business training, counseling, coaching, 

mentoring and other assistance geared 

toward women, particularly those 

who are socially and economically 

disadvantaged. WBCs are located in 

nearly every state and U.S. territory 

including the District of Columbia 

and the territories of Puerto Rico and 

American Samoa. They are partially 

funded through a cooperative agreement 

with the SBA.

To meet the needs of women 

entrepreneurs, WBCs offer services 

at convenient times and locations, 

including evenings and weekends. 

WBCs are located within non-profit host 

organizations that offer a wide variety 

of services in addition to the services 

provided by the WBC. Many of the 

WBCs also offer training and counseling 

and provide materials in different 

languages in order to meet the diverse 

needs of the communities they serve. 

WBCs often deliver their services 

through long-term training or group 

counseling, both of which have shown to 

be effective. WBC training courses are 

often free or are offered for a small fee. 

Some centers will also offer scholarships 

based on the client’s needs.

A number of WBCs also provide 

courses and counseling via the Internet, 

and in mobile classrooms and satellite 

locations. In fiscal year 2015, the WBC 

program counseled and trained over 

140,000 clients, creating local economic 

growth and vitality. The WBCs helped 

entrepreneurs access more than 

$87 million dollars in capital. Based 

on a 2010 Impact Study, of the WBC 

clients that have received three or 

more hours of counseling, 15 percent 

indicated that the services led to hiring 

new staff, 34 percent indicated that 

the services led to an increased profit 

margin, and 47 percent indicated that 

the services led to an increase in sales.

In addition, the WBC program has 

taken a lead in preparing women 

business owners to apply for the 

Women-Owned Small Business 

(WOSB) Federal Contract program 

that authorizes contracting officers to 

set aside certain federal contracts for 

eligible women-owned small businesses 

or economically disadvantaged womenowned small businesses. For more 

information on the program, visit 

www.sba.gov/wosb. 

To find the nearest SBA WBC, visit 

www.sba.gov/women.

SBA EMERGING LEADERS 

 The intense seven-month 

entrepreneurship training for identified 

SBA Emerging Leaders creates a 

learning environment to accelerate 

the growth of high-potential small 

businesses, stimulates job creation 

and helps drive economic development 

within their communities. A competitive 

selection process results in company 

executives participating in highlevel training and peer-networking 

sessions led by professional instructors. 

Graduates are poised to create an 

economic ripple effect because they 

are now equipped with the support, 

resources and enhanced business skills 

necessary to succeed. 

Impact of Emerging Leaders:

The initiative is currently offered in 

51 underserved communities across the 

country.

To date 3,000 businesses have 

participated and nearly 2,700 Emerging 

Leaders have graduated since its 

inception. A study of Emerging Leaders 

past participants reported that:

• Nearly 70% obtained revenue 

growth

• Over 80% created new jobs or 

 retained all

• Participants secured federal, state, 

 local and tribal contracts awards 

 over $1 Billion

• 95% were satisfied with the 

Emerging Leaders program

 Visit www.sba.gov/emergingleaders for 

more information.

SBA’S LEARNING CENTER

SBA’s Learning Center is a virtual 

campus complete with free online 

courses, workshops, podcasts and 

learning tools.

Key Features of the SBA’s Learning 

Center: 

• Training is available anytime and 

anywhere — all you need is a 

computer (or mobile device) with 

Internet access. 

• Nearly 50 free online and 

interactive courses are available.

• Checklists and worksheets to get 

your business planning underway.

• Course topics include how to 

write a business plan, financing 

options that include SBA lending 

programs, mastering overseas 

markets through exporting, public 

sector procurement tactics, and 

specialty material for veterans, 

young entrepreneurs, and women 

business owners. 

• Over ten new courses launched 

in the last year; including a new 

Spanish-language version of a 

course for Young Entrepreneurs.

Visit www.sba.gov/learning for these 

free resources.

SBA’S CLUSTER INITIATIVE

The SBA is investing in regional 

innovation clusters throughout 

the US that span a variety of 

industries, ranging from energy 

and manufacturing to advanced 

defense technologies. Clusters 

are geographic concentrations of 

interconnected companies, specialized 

suppliers, academic institutions, 

service providers and associated 

organizations with a specific industry 

focus. They provide high-value, 

targeted connecting of small and large 

businesses, including networking with 

potential industry partners abroad. 

The Regional Innovation Clusters 

serve a diverse group of sectors and 

geographies. Three of the initial pilot 

clusters, termed Advanced Defense 

Technology clusters, are specifically 

focused on meeting the needs of the 

defense industry. The Wood Products 

Cluster, debuted in 2015, supports 
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 11

COUNSELING

the White House’s Partnerships for 

Opportunity and Workforce and 

Economic Revitalization (POWER) 

Initiative for coal communities. All of 

the clusters support small businesses 

by fostering a synergistic network 

of small and large businesses, 

university researchers, regional 

economic organizations, stakeholders, 

and investors, while providing 

matchmaking, business training, 

counseling, mentoring, and other 

services to help small businesses 

expand and grow.

Throughout the initiative, SBA 

has asked a third- party evaluator to 

examine SBA’s Regional Innovation 

Clusters in detail, including their 

various stakeholder participants and 

the services and activities provided 

by the clusters, with a focus on small 

business participants. Some highlights 

from the Year 3 report, released in 

July 2014, include the following:

• 80% of participants agree that 

cluster activities led to increases in 

collaborative activity within their 

region;

• Cluster administrators provided 

more than 13,000 hours of one-onone assistance to more than 460 

small businesses, with recipient 

small businesses receiving an 

average of nearly 29 hours each.

• The value of economic activity 

in the third year of the program 

totaled more than $3.9 Billion

• Employment in cluster-associated 

small businesses grew an average of 

6.9%, more than 4 times faster than 

the regional benchmark.

• Revenues in cluster-associated 

small businesses increased an 

average of 6.9%, nearly twice as fast 

as comparable firms

 For more information on SBA’s 

Cluster Initiative, go to

www.sba.gov/clusters.

SBA’S SCALEUP AMERICA 

INITIATIVE

The SBA’s new ScaleUp America 

Initiative is designed to help small 

firms with high potential to “scale 

up” and grow their businesses so 

that they will provide more jobs and 

have a greater economic impact, both 

locally and nationally. The SBA has 

structured this community-focused 

initiative with local entrepreneurial 

ecosystems in mind: a key emphasis 

of the program is building and 

strengthening entrepreneurial 

networks within a particular 

community, so that firms can grow 

by leveraging and complimenting the 

existing resources and expertise in 

their areas.

The ScaleUp initiative functions 

by supporting communities’ efforts 

to deliver cohort-based intensive 

assistance to established highpotential small businesses and 

entrepreneurs that are primed 

for growth beyond the start-up or 

early stages. The initiative provides 

funds to organizing entities in local 

communities to do the following:

• deliver a proven entrepreneurship 

education curriculum for growthoriented entrepreneurs and small 

businesses; provide on-going one-onone support,

• provide mentoring and technical 

assistance;

• facilitate connections to growth 

capital; and

• identify opportunities to build 

and strengthen connections and 

networks in their community.

Since launching this initiative, the 

SBA has awarded funding support to 

a geographically and organizationally 

diverse group of fifteen ScaleUp 

communities.

For more information on SBA’s 

ScaleUp America Initiative, go to

www.sba.gov/scaleup

FINANCIAL LITERACY

If you want to start a business or 

learn how to better manage your 

business money, consider Money 

Smart for Small Business. Money 

Smart for Small Business provides a 

practical introduction to the everyday 

tasks of starting and managing 

a business. Developed jointly by 

the Federal Deposit Insurance 

Corporation (FDIC) and the U.S. 

Small Business Administration 

(SBA), this instructor-led curriculum 

consists of 13 modules. Each module 

includes a fully scripted instructor 

guide, participant workbook, and 

PowerPoint slides. These resources 

enable an organization to offer Money 

Smart for Small Business classes 

right away. The modules provide 

the most essential information on 

running a small business from a 

financial standpoint. In addition to 

grounding participants in the basics, 

the curriculum serves as a foundation 

for more advanced training and 

technical assistance. You can find this 

curriculum by visiting www.sba.gov/

moneysmart.

To learn more about the Financial 

Literacy and Education Commission, 

visit www.mymoney.gov.

REACHING UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES

The SBA also offers a number of 

programs specifically designed to meet 

the needs of underserved communities.

ENCORE ENTREPRENEURS With their range of life experiences 

and their tendency to have more 

disposable income, entrepreneurs age 

50 and older are one of the fastest 

growing groups of business owners. 

To help meet the needs of “encore 

entrepreneurs,” SBA and AARP have 

joined forces to mentor, counsel, 

and educate Americans age 50 and 

over on how to start or grow a small 

business. Through this partnership, 

SBA and AARP collaborate to connect 

the 50+ population to small business 

development resources, including online 

courses, webinars, live workshops, 

conferences, and mentoring activities. 

For additional information, visit 

www.sba.gov/encore.

BUSINESS SMART TOOLKIT

 SBA’s Office of Entrepreneurial 

Development in partnership with the 

National Association of Government 

Guaranteed Lenders (NAGGL) 

developed the Business Smart Toolkit. 

The toolkit is a ready-to-use workshop 

that lays the groundwork for helping 

new and aspiring entrepreneurs launch 

a business idea and understand the 

steps to building a business that is 

credit ready. The Business Smart 

Toolkit was designed to provide 

resources for underserved communities. 

 The information is laid out simply 

in three modules. The three modules 

focus on: 1) Basics of Business startup; 

2) Essentials of becoming credit-ready; 

and 3) How and where to find additional 

small business support and educational 

resources. The toolkit is designed 

for local community organizations 

whose constituents are interested in 

starting a business but do not know 

where to begin. The curriculum will 

allow the local organization to provide 

their constituents with enough basic 
12 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

COUNSELING

knowledge to get them on the right 

track in starting and connecting 

them to local resources—along with 

providing further support along their 

entrepreneurial journey. The toolkit and 

instructor guide are written at a level 

so that a community volunteer can feel 

comfortable presenting the information. 

The Business Smart Toolkit is free and 

readily-downloadable at 

www.SBA.gov/BusinessSmart. 

FAITH-BASED AND 

COMMUNITY INITIATIVES 

SBA’s Center for Faith-Based and 

Community Initiatives works to engage 

and build strong partnerships with 

community and nonprofit organizations, 

both secular and faith-based, to support 

entrepreneurship, economic growth and 

promote prosperity for all Americans. 

The Center works in coordination 

with other offices within the Agency 

to formulate policies and practices 

that extend the reach and impact of 

SBA programs into local communities. 

SBA recognizes the important role 

community leaders and networks have 

in economic development at the local 

and national level. Further, the Center 

plays a key role in helping identify, 

engage and impact underserved 

communities. For additional 

information, visit 

www.sba.gov/faith-based.

LGBT BUSINESS OUTREACH 

INITIATIVE

The SBA’s groundbreaking outreach 

to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and 

Transgendered (LGBT) community 

is for the first time bringing SBA 

resources directly to LGBT business 

owners. Recognizing the unique 

challenges faced by the nation’s 1.4 

million LGBT-owned businesses, 

the SBA has partnered with 

several national business advocacy 

organizations, including the National 

Gay and Lesbian Chamber of 

Commerce, to increase the use of SBA 

programs by LGBT owned businesses. 

The SBA is the nation’s leading 

advocate and champion for all 

entrepreneurs and is deeply committed 

to helping LGBT-owned small 

businesses launch, innovate, hire 

and grow. Across the country, our 

resource partners are providing LGBT 

entrepreneurs with game-changing 

business advice. For more information 

on LGBT business development, go to 

www.sba.gov/LGBT or e-mail: 

lgbt@sba.gov.

NATIVE AMERICAN BUSINESS 

DEVELOPMENT

The SBA Office of Native American 

Affairs (ONAA) ensures that American 

Indians, Alaska Natives and Native 

Hawaiians seeking to create, develop 

and expand small businesses have full 

access to the business development and 

expansion tools available through the 

Agency’s entrepreneurial development, 

lending, and contracting programs. 

The office provides a network of 

training initiatives that include a 

Native Entrepreneurial Empowerment 

Workshop, a Native American 8(a) 

Business Development Workshop, a 

Money Smart Workshop, an Incubator 

Workshop and the online tool, “Small 

Business Primer: Strategies for 

Growth.” ONAA also is responsible for 

consulting with tribal governments 

prior to finalizing SBA policies that may 

have tribal implications. Visit 

www.sba.gov/naa for more information.

MBA

A Program of the UAA Business Enterprise 

Institute

1901 Bragaw, Ste. 199 

Anchorage, AK 99508 

901-786-4676

www.mbda.gov/businesscenters/anchorage

Operated by the Native American 

Contractors Association

WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS

Women entrepreneurs are changing 

the face of America’s economy. In the 

1970s, women owned less than 

5 percent of the nation’s businesses. 

Today, they are majority owners 

of about a third of the nation’s small 

businesses and are at least equal 

owners of about half of all small 

businesses. SBA serves women 

entrepreneurs nationwide through its 

various programs and services, some 

of which are designed especially for 

women. 

The SBA’s Office of Women’s 

Business Ownership (OWBO) serves 

as an advocate for women-owned 

businesses. The office oversees a 

nationwide network over 100 Women’s 

Business Centers that provide business 

training, counseling and mentoring 

geared specifically to women, especially 

those who are socially and economically 

disadvantaged. The program is a publicprivate partnership with locally-based 

nonprofits. 

Women’s Business Centers serve 

a wide variety of geographic areas, 

population densities, and economic 

environments, including urban, 

suburban, and rural. Each Women’s 

Business Center tailors its services to 

the needs of its individual community, 

but all offer a variety of innovative 

programs, often including courses 

in different languages. They provide 

training in finance, management, and 

marketing, as well as access to all of 

the SBA’s financial and procurement 

assistance programs. 

In addition to the women’s business 

centers, the Office of Women’s Business 

Ownership works with other offices 

within SBA to monitor how women are 

utilizing SBA programs such as our 

loan programs, investment programs 

and contracting opportunities. OWBO 

also establishes partnerships with many 

women’s business organizations to help 

ensure that more women have access 

to the services provided by SBA and its 

partners. 

Through a strategic alliance 

with Thunderbird School of Global 

Management, SBA is pleased to provide 

access to the DreamBuilder online 

training curriculum in both English and 

Spanish. This curriculum is currently 

being used by over 30 women’s 

business centers. It is available at no 

cost to entrepreneurs at https://www.

dreambuilder.org/sba

For the second year, the Office of 

Women’s Business Ownership has 

held the InnovateHer competition. 

The InnovateHER Challenge provides 

an opportunity for entrepreneurs to 

showcase products and services that: 

have a measurable impact on the 

lives of women and families, have the 

potential for commercialization, and 

fill a need in the marketplace. SBA’s 

InnovateHER: Innovating for Women 

Business Summit on March 17, 2016 in 

Washington, D.C. will bring together 

creative ideas to support women’s 

efforts to push the limits, break the 

glass ceiling and create long-term, 

positive changes in gender equality.

Women’s Economic Empowerment Center

YWCA Alaska 

324 E. 5th Ave.

Anchorage, AK 99501

907-644-9600 • 907-644-9650 Fax

www.ywcaak.org/finances.htm 

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS 

The SBA recognizes the importance 

of fostering young entrepreneurs and 

small business owners and their role in 

the economy. The SBA offers different 

activities and resources throughout 

the year aimed at aspiring young 

entrepreneurs, including social media 

outreach and customized online courses 

available at www.sba.gov/learning. 

For additional information, visit 

www.sba.gov/young.

SBA also administers two contracting 

and business development programs 

that are specifically designed to benefit 

underserved communities. For more 

information on the 8(a) Business 

Development Program and the 

HUBZone Program, see the Contracting 

section.

REACHING UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 13

COUNSELING

SERVING THOSE WHO SERVED OUR COUNTRY

Each year SBA serves over 200,000 

veterans, service disabled veterans 

and military spouses across the United 

States and at military installations 

around the globe. SBA provides training 

and mentorship, access to capital, 

preparation for opportunities in federal 

procurement, cultivating connections 

within commercial supply chains and 

disaster relief assistance. 

SBA’s Office of Veterans Business 

Development (OVBD) offers a 

number of programs and services to 

support aspiring and existing veteran 

entrepreneurs and military spouses of 

all eras, women veterans, and service 

disabled veterans. These programs, 

Boots to Business, Boots to Business: 

Reboot, Veteran Women Igniting the 

Spirit of Entrepreneurship (VWISE), 

and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for 

Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), offer 

cutting edge, experiential training in 

entrepreneurship and small business 

management. These programs were 

developed to introduce transitioning 

service members, veterans, and military 

spouses, to entrepreneurship, exploring 

self-employment opportunities, and 

turning an idea into a growth venture. 

In addition, these programs also 

help to connect participants to SBA’s 

local network of resource partners 

and establish a support structure for 

graduates.

For more information on any of SBA’s 

program for veterans, please visit 

www.sba.gov/veterans.

BOOTS TO BUSINESS AND 

BOOTS TO BUSINESS: REBOOT 

Boots to Business is an 

entrepreneurial education and training 

program offered by the U.S. Small 

Business Administration (SBA) as a 

training track within the Department 

of Defense’s Transition Assistance 

Program (TAP). The curriculum 

provides valuable assistance to 

transitioning Service members 

exploring business ownership or other 

self-employment opportunities by 

leading them through the key steps 

for evaluating business concepts and 

providing the foundational knowledge 

required to develop a business plan. In 

addition, participants are introduced to 

SBA resources available to help access 

start-up capital and additional technical 

assistance.

 Boots to Business Reboot is a two-step 

entrepreneurship training program 

offered by the U.S. Small Business 

Administration through a public 

private partnership with the Institute 

of Veterans and Military Families, the 

Marcus Foundation and First Data 

Corporation. This course is open to 

Veterans of all eras (Servicemembers, 

including members of the National 

Guard and Reserves) and their spouses. 

The curriculum provides assistance to 

those interested in exploring business 

ownership or other self-employment 

opportunities by leading them through 

the key steps for evaluating business 

concepts and providing foundational 

knowledge required to develop a 

business plan. In addition, participants 

are introduced to SBA resources 

available to access start-up capital, 

technical assistance and contracting 

opportunities. 

VETERAN WOMEN 

IGNITING THE SPIRIT OF 

ENTREPRENEURSHIP (V-WISE) 

Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit 

of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE) is a 

three-phase program, V-WISE is offered 

three times per year across the nation, 

to approximately 200 participants per 

session. The program includes a growth 

track for women veterans and women 

military spouses already in business 

as well as start-up training for new 

entrepreneurs.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP 

BOOTCAMP FOR VETERANS 

WITH DISABILITIES

The EBV National Program is a 

novel, one-of-a-kind initiative designed 

to leverage the skills, resources and 

infrastructure of higher education to 

offer cutting-edge, experiential training 

in entrepreneurship and small business 

management to post-9/11 veterans 

with service-connected disabilities and 

a passion for entrepreneurship as well 

as military family members who serve 

in a caregiver role to a veteran with a 

service-connected disability. The aim 

of the program is to open the door to 

economic opportunity for our veterans 

and their families by developing their 

competencies in creating and sustaining 

an entrepreneurial 

VETERANS BUSINESS 

OUTREACH CENTERS (VBOCS)

The Veterans Business Outreach 

Center Program is designed to provide 

entrepreneurial development services 

such as business training, counseling 

and mentoring, and referrals for 

eligible veterans owning or considering 

starting a small business. The SBA has 

14 organizations participating in this 

cooperative agreement and serving as 

Veterans Business Outreach Centers 

(VBOC).

Veterans Institute for Procurement 

(VIP) - VIP is designed for veteran 

owned businesses to increase their 

ability to win government contracts by 

establishing best business practices. 

The training is available to established 

veteran business owners through a 

cooperative agreement between SBA, 

the Montgomery County Chamber of 

Commerce, the State of Maryland, 

and private sponsors. VIP includes an 

accelerator-like in-residence educational 

training program consisting of a 

three-day comprehensive certification 

course instructed by professional 

service experts, government officials, 

and agency representatives. Since 

the program launched in 2009, VIP 

has graduated 546 veteran-owned 

businesses from 37 states, Washington 

D.C., and Guam.

CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS 

DURING DEPLOYMENT

SBA also connects veterans and 

military spouses to lenders that offer 

loan programs providing fee relief for 

eligible veterans and military spouses 

and offers special low-interest-rate 

financing to small businesses when an 

owner or essential employee is called to 

active duty. SBA’s Veterans Advantage 

program provides fee relief for eligible 

veterans and military spouses and 

survivors. The Military Reservist 

Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program 

(MREIDL) provides loans up to $2 

million to eligible small businesses to 

cover operating costs that cannot be met 

due to the loss of an essential employee 

called to active duty in the Reserves or 

National Guard. 
14 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

COUNSELING

Most new business owners who 

succeed have planned for every phase 

of their success. Thomas Edison, the 

great American inventor, once said, 

“Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 

99 percent perspiration.” That same 

philosophy also applies to starting a 

business.

First, you’ll need to generate a little 

bit of perspiration deciding whether 

you’re the right type of person to start 

your own business.

IS ENTREPRENEURSHIP 

FOR YOU?

There is simply no way to eliminate 

all the risks associated with starting 

a small business, but you can improve 

your chances of success with good 

planning, preparation and insight. 

Start by evaluating your strengths and 

weaknesses as a potential owner and 

manager of a small business. Carefully 

consider each of the following 

questions:

• Are you a self-starter? It will 

be entirely up to you to develop 

projects, organize your time, and 

follow through on details.

• How well do you get along with 

different personalities? Business 

owners need to develop working 

relationships with a variety 

of people including customers, 

vendors, staff, bankers, 

employees and professionals 

such as lawyers, accountants, or 

consultants. Can you deal with a 

demanding client, an unreliable 

vendor, or a cranky receptionist 

if your business interests demand 

it?

• How good are you at making 

decisions? Small business 

owners are required to make 

decisions constantly – often 

quickly, independently, and 

under pressure.

• Do you have the physical and 

emotional stamina to run a 

business? Business ownership 

can be exciting, but it’s also a 

lot of work. Can you face six or 

seven 12–hour workdays every 

week?

• How well do you plan and 

organize? Research indicates 

that poor planning is responsible 

for most business failures. Good 

organization — of financials, 

inventory, schedules, and 

production — can help you avoid 

many pitfalls.

• Is your drive strong enough?

Running a business can wear 

you down emotionally. Some 

business owners burn out quickly 

from having to carry all the 

responsibility for the success 

of their business on their own 

shoulders. Strong motivation 

will help you survive slowdowns 

and periods of burnout.

• How will the business affect 

your family? The first few years 

of business start-up can be hard 

on family life. It’s important for 

family members to know what 

to expect and for you to be able 

to trust that they will support 

you during this time. There also 

may be financial difficulties until 

the business becomes profitable, 

which could take months or 

years. You may have to adjust to 

a lower standard of living or put 

family assets at risk.

Once you’ve answered these 

questions, you should consider what 

type of business you want to start. 

Businesses can include franchises, 

at-home businesses, online businesses, 

brick-and-mortar stores or any 

combination of those.

FRANCHISING

There are more than 3,000 business 

franchises. The challenge is to decide 

on one that both interests you and is 

a good investment. Many franchising 

experts suggest that you comparison 

shop by looking at multiple franchise 

opportunities before deciding on the 

one that’s right for you.

Some of the things you should 

look at when evaluating a franchise: 

historical profitability, effective 

financial management and other 

controls, a good image, integrity 

and commitment, and a successful 

industry.

In the simplest form of franchising, 

while you own the business, its 

operation is governed by the terms 

of the franchise agreement. For 

many, this is the chief benefit for 

franchising. You are able to capitalize 

on a business format, trade name, 

trademark and/or support system 

provided by the franchisor. But you 

operate as an independent contractor 

with the ability to make a profit or 

sustain a loss commensurate with your 

ownership. 

If you are concerned about starting 

an independent business venture, then 

franchising may be an option for you. 

Remember that hard work, dedication 

and sacrifice are key elements in 

the success of any business venture, 

including a franchise.

Visit www.sba.gov/franchise for more 

information.

HOME-BASED BUSINESSES

Going to work used to mean 

traveling from home to a plant, store 

or office. Today, many people do some 

or all their work at home. 

Getting Started

Before diving headfirst into a homebased business, you must know why 

you are doing it. To succeed, your 

business must be based on something 

greater than a desire to be your 

own boss. You must plan and make 

improvements and adjustments along 

the road.

Working under the same roof where 

your family lives may not prove to be 

as easy as it seems. One suggestion is 

to set up a separate office in your home 

to create a professional environment. 

Ask yourself these questions:

• Can I switch from home 

responsibilities to business work 

easily?

• Do I have the self-discipline to 

maintain schedules while at home?

• Can I deal with the isolation of 

working from home?

Legal Requirements

A home-based business is subject to 

many of the same laws and regulations 

affecting other businesses. 

Some general areas include:

• Zoning regulations. If your 

business operates in violation of 

them, you could be fined or shut 

down.

• Product restrictions. Certain 

products cannot be produced in 

the home. Most states outlaw 

home production of fireworks, 

drugs, poisons, explosives, 

sanitary or medical products and 

toys. Some states also prohibit 

home-based businesses from 

making food, drink or clothing.

Be sure to consult an attorney and 

your local and state departments of 

labor and health to find out which 

laws and regulations will affect 

your business. Additionally, check 

on registration and accounting 

requirements needed to open your 

home-based business. You may need 

a work certificate or license from the 

state. Your business name may need 

to be registered with the state. A 

separate business telephone and bank 

account are good business practices.

Also remember, if you have 

employees you are responsible for 

withholding income and SocialSecurity taxes, and for complying with 

minimum wage and employee health 

and safety laws.

ARE YOU RIGHT FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERSHIP?
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 15

COUNSELING

WRITING A BUSINESS PLAN

After you’ve thought about what 

type of business you want, the 

next step is to develop a business 

plan. Think of the business plan 

as a roadmap with milestones 

for the business. It begins as a 

pre-assessment tool to determine 

profitability and market share, and 

then expands as an in-business 

assessment tool to determine success, 

obtain financing and determine 

repayment ability, among other 

factors.

Creating a comprehensive business 

plan can be a long process, and you 

need good advice. The SBA and its 

resource partners, including Small 

Business Development Centers, 

Women’s Business Centers, Veterans 

Business Outreach Centers, and 

SCORE, have the expertise to help 

you craft a winning business plan. The 

SBA also offers online templates and a 

course to get you started. 

In general, a good business plan 

contains:

Introduction

• Give a detailed description of the 

business and its goals.

• Discuss ownership of the 

business and its legal structure.

• List the skills and experience you 

bring to the business.

• Discuss the advantages you 

and your business have over 

competitors.

Marketing

• Discuss the products and services 

your company will offer.

• Identify customer demand for your 

products and services.

• Identify your market, its size and 

locations.

• Explain how your products and 

services will be advertised and 

marketed.

• Explain your pricing strategy.

Financial Management

• Develop an expected return on 

investment and monthly cash 

flow for the first year.

• Provide projected income 

statements and balance sheets 

for a two-year period.

• Discuss your break-even point.

• Explain your personal 

balance sheet and method of 

compensation.

• Discuss who will maintain your 

accounting records and how they 

will be kept.

• Provide “what if” statements 

addressing alternative 

approaches to potential 

problems.

Operations

• Explain how the business will be 

managed day-to-day.

• Discuss hiring and personnel 

procedures.

• Discuss insurance, lease or rent 

agreements.

• Account for the equipment 

necessary to produce your goods 

or services.

• Account for production and 

delivery of products and services.

Concluding Statement

Summarize your business goals 

and objectives and express your 

commitment to the success of your 

business. Once you have completed 

your business plan, review it with 

a friend or business associate and 

professional business counselor 

like SCORE, WBC or SBDC 

representatives, SBA district office 

economic development specialists 

or veterans’ business development 

specialists.

Remember, the business plan is a 

flexible document that should change 

as your business grows.
16 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

CAPITAL

Many entrepreneurs need 

financial resources to start 

or expand a small business 

and must combine what 

they have with other 

sources of financing. These sources can 

include family and friends, venturecapital financing and business loans. 

This section of the Small Business 

Resource guide discusses SBA’s primary 

business loan and equity financing 

programs. These are: the 7(a) Loan 

Program, the Certified Development 

Company or 504 Loan Program, the 

Microloan Program and the Small 

Business Investment Company 

Program. The distinguishing features 

for these programs are the total dollar 

amounts that can be borrowed, the type 

of lenders who can provide these loans, 

the uses for the loan proceeds and the 

terms placed on the borrower. The SBA 

does not provide grants to individual 

business owners to start or grow a 

business.

SBA BUSINESS LOANS

If you are contemplating a business 

loan, familiarize yourself with the SBA’s 

business loan programs to see if there 

may be a viable option. The SBA has 

a variety of loan programs which are 

distinguished by their different uses of 

the loan proceeds, their dollar amounts, 

and the requirements placed on the 

actual lenders. The three principal 

players in most of these programs are 

the applicant small business, the lender 

and the SBA. (The Agency does not 

actually provide the loan, but rather they 

guaranty a portion of the loan provided 

by a lender (except for microloans)). The 

lender can be a regulated bank or credit 

union, or a community based lending 

organization. 

 For help locating a lender in your 

area, SBA has an online tool called 

LINC that matches small businesses 

with participating SBA lenders. LINC 

begins with a simple online form that 

requests basic information about 

your business and financing needs. 

That information is transmitted to all 

participating SBA lenders operating 

within your county. If a lender is 

interested, you will receive an email 

with the contact information for that 

lender. LINC can be accessed through 

SBA’s website at https://www.sba.gov/

tools/linc.

Submitting an inquiry through LINC 

does not constitute a loan application 

but is instead a valuable tool to identify 

SBA lenders within your community. 

Once you have identified those lenders, 

you will apply directly to the lenders 

by providing them the documents they 

require. Generally an application 

includes a business plan that explains 

what resources will be needed to 

accomplish the desired business 

purpose including the associated costs, 

the applicants’ contribution, planned 

uses for the loan proceeds, a listing 

of the assets that will secure the loan 

(collateral), a history of the business 

and explanation of how the business 

generates income, and most important, 

an explanation of how the business will 

be able to repay the loan in a timely 

manner. 

The lender will analyze the 

application to see if it meets their 

criteria and make a determination if 

they will need an SBA guaranty in 

order to provide the loan. SBA will 

look to the lender to do much, if not 

all, of the analysis before it provides 

its guaranty to the lender’s proposed 

loan. The SBA’s business loan guaranty 

programs provide a key source of 

financing for viable small businesses 

that have real potential but cannot 

qualify for credit on reasonable terms by 

themselves.

If no lenders respond to your inquiry 

through LINC or if you are unable to 

secure financing from the lenders that 

you have contacted, please contact your 

local SBA District Office for additional 

resources. 

7(a) LOAN PROGRAM

The 7(a) Loan program is the SBA’s 

primary business loan program. It 

is the agency’s most frequently used 

non-disaster financial assistance 

program because of its flexibility in loan 

structure, variety of uses for the loan 

proceeds and availability. The program 

has broad eligibility requirements and 

credit criteria to accommodate a wide 

range of financing needs.

Congress authorized SBA to provide 

financial assistance either directly 

or in cooperation with banks or 

other financial institutions through 

agreements to participate in section 7(a) 

of the Small Business Act. Historically, 

a 7(a) loan was provided either 

directly from SBA or from regulated 

lenders who provided the loan after 

they obtained a guaranty from SBA. 

Since 1996, all 7(a) loans have only 

been provided on a guaranteed basis, 

meaning from a lender participating in 

the 7(a) Loan Guaranty Program.

The business loans that SBA 

guarantees do not come from the 

Agency, but rather from banks and 

other approved lenders. The loans are 

funded by these organizations and they 

make the decision to approve or deny 

the applicant’s loan request.

CAPITAL

Financing Options to Start or Grow Your Business
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 17

The guaranty that SBA provides 

the lender reduces the lender’s risk 

of borrower non-payment because the 

guaranty assures the lender that if 

the borrower defaults, the lender can 

request that SBA pay the debt rather 

than the borrower. SBA only guarantees 

a portion or percentage of every loan, 

so in the event of default the lender 

will only get partially repaid by SBA. 

However the borrower is still obligated 

for the full loan amount. 

To qualify for an SBA guaranteed 

loan, a small business must meet 

the lender’s criteria and the 7(a) 

program requirements. One of those 

requirements is that the lender must 

certify that it would not provide this 

loan under the proposed terms and 

conditions without an SBA guaranty. 

If the SBA is going to provide a lender 

with a guaranty, the applicant must be 

eligible and creditworthy and the loan 

structured under conditions acceptable 

to the SBA.

 The 7(a) Program includes ten (10) 

types of loans which all share certain 

eligibility requirements but which 

also have some different requirements 

so they can accommodate specific 

business needs and/or give lenders 

greater flexibility with loan structure. 

The most popular 7(a) loan type is the 

Basic 7(a) Loan, which can be used for 

the most diverse purposes. The other 

nine 7(a) loan types are variations of 

the Basic 7(a) Loan with different uses 

for the loan proceeds and alternative 

structures. 

The applicant business must:

1. Be an operating business (except 

for loans to Eligible Passive 

Companies);

2. Be organized for profit;

3. Be located in the United States;

4. Be able to demonstrate a need for 

the desired credit.

5. Be a business, along with its 

Affiliates, that meets SBA’s Size 

Standard Requirements. 

6. Be a business that is not engaged 

in a prohibited business activity or 

owned by a non-qualified owner, or 

located at a prohibited place.

7. Only use the Loan Proceeds 

for only acceptable purposes, which 

includes proceeds to start-up a new 

 business, buy an existing business, 

acquire machinery & equipment 

and/or furniture & fixtures,

 acquire or renovate a building 

which the business will occupy, 

permanent working capital, and 

refinancing existing business debt 

under certain conditions. Proceeds 

from a Basic 7(a) cannot be used 

to buy investments that are held 

for their potential appreciation, or 

to be provided to an associate 

of the business except under very 

limited circumstances.

8. Be able to demonstrate that it 

can’t get the proceeds from its own 

resources or those of its principal 

owners and the lender must certify 

that they would only approve 

 the loan if it is able to obtain a 

guaranty from SBA.

9. Have ownership that is of Good 

Character

10. Be able to satisfy any 

 Miscellaneous Eligibility 

Requirements that may be 

imposed on a loan request based 

on the circumstances of the case 

including, but not limited to the 

purpose of the loan.

THE BASIC 7(a) LOAN 

 The Basic 7(a) Loan is the most 

commonly provided type of SBA 

business loan based on historical 

dollars approved. They are the most 

flexible types of SBA loans because they 

can help finance such a large variety 

of business purposes for the largest 

number of business types, engaged in 

the widest spectrum of activities. 

In the Federal Government’s 2013 

Fiscal Year (October 1, 2012 to 

September 30, 2013) about 80 percent 

of the dollars and 38 percent of the 

number of all 7(a) loans were Basic 7(a) 

Loans. The reciprocal percentages were 

divided between the nine other 7(a) 

Programs.

 The Basic 7(a) Loan is a term loan 

usually repaid with one monthly 

payment of principal and interest. 

Interest only repayment periods are 

permitted when needed, such as for a 

start-up business that doesn’t achieve 

breakeven in its initial months of 

operation. Other repayment structures 

are also permitted depending upon the 

borrower’s needs and the flexibility of 

the lender. 

A Basic 7(a) Loan does not revolve 

so the sum of the disbursements is 

the loan amount. SBA can guaranty 

revolving lines of credit, but that is 

accomplished through some of the nine 

variations to the Basic 7(a) Loan. 

 The following aspects of the Basic 7(a) 

Loan are also applicable to all other 7(a) 

Loan unless specifically referenced as 

not applying to a specific Special 7(a) 

Loan.

Percentage of Guarantees and Loan 

Maximums 

SBA only guarantees a portion 

of any particular 7(a) loan so each 

loan will have an SBA share and an 

unguaranteed portion which gives the 

lender a certain amount of exposure 

and risk on each loan. The percentage 

of guaranty depends on either the dollar 

amount or the program the lender 

uses to obtain its guaranty. For loans 

of $150,000 or less the SBA generally 

guarantees as much as 85 percent 

and for loans over $150,000 the SBA 

generally provides a guaranty of up to 

75 percent. 

The maximum dollar amount of a 

single 7(a) loan is $5 million and there 

is no minimum. The maximum dollar 

amount of the SBA share which can be 

provided to any one business (including 

affiliates) is $3,750,000. 

Interest Rates

The actual interest rate for a 7(a) loan 

guaranteed by the SBA is negotiated 

between the applicant and lender 

but is subject to the SBA maximums. 

Both fixed and variable interest rate 

structures are available. The maximum 

rate comprises two parts, a base rate 

and an allowable spread. There are 

three acceptable base rates (Wall Street 

Journal Prime*, London Interbank One 

Month Prime plus 3 percent, and an 

SBA Peg Rate). Lenders are allowed to 

add an additional spread to the base 

rate to arrive at the final rate. For 

loans with maturities of less than seven 

years, the maximum spread will be no 

more than 2.25 percent. For loans with 

maturities of seven years or more, the 

maximum spread will be 2.75 percent. 

The spread on loans under $50,000 

and loans processed through Express 

procedures have higher maximums.

Most 7(a) term loans are repaid 

with monthly payments of principal 

and interest. For fixed-rate loans the 

payments stay the same because the 

interest rate is constant. For variable 

rate loans the lender can change the 

payment amount when the interest 

rates change. Applicants can request 

that the lender establish the loan with 

interest-only payments during the startup and expansion phases (when eligible) 

to allow the business time to generate 

income before it starts making full loan 

payments. 

CAPITAL
18 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

CAPITAL

Documentation requirements will 

vary depending upon the purpose of 

the loan. Contact your lender for the 

information you must supply. 

Common requirements include the 

following:

A Business Plan that includes: 

• Purpose of the loan

• History of the business

• Projections of income, expenses 

and cash flow as well as an 

explanation of the assumptions 

used to develop these projections

• Personal financial statements on 

the principal owners

• Resume(s) of the principal owners 

and managers.

• Amount of investment in the 

business by the owner(s)

• Projected opening-day balance 

sheet (new businesses)

• Lease details

• Proposed Collateral

Three Years of Financial Statements 

that include:

• Balance Sheet and Income 

Statement (P&L) for three years 

(existing businesses) (Tax Returns 

usually suffice)

• Interim Financial Statements 

dated within 180 days of the 

request for assistance

• Schedule of term debts (existing 

businesses)

• Aging of accounts receivable and 

payable (existing businesses), plus

• Interim Financial Statements 

dated within 180 days of the 

request for assistance

How the 7(a) Program Works

Small Business applicant assembles 

their request for financing based on 

the intended purpose of the proposed 

loan and what documents the lender 

requires. A loan to help a moving 

company acquire a new truck will be 

less involved than a loan to acquire or 

start-up a business. The paperwork 

can be completed on either a business 

loan application provided by the lender 

or an SBA application, but using the 

SBA forms does not actually increase 

the change an applicant has in getting 

a business loan. The applicant then 

submits their loan application to a 

lender for the initial review. If the 

applicant is applying for their first 

business loan, it is recommended that 

the selected lender be the one who 

maintains the personal account of the 

owner(s). 

 The lender will generally review 

the credit merits of the request before 

deciding if they will make the loan 

themselves or if they will need an SBA 

guaranty. If a guaranty is needed, the 

lender will also review the application 

for SBA eligibility. The applicant 

should be prepared to complete some 

additional documents if the lender 

says they need an SBA guaranty for 

approval. Applicants who feel they 

need more help with the process 

should contact their local SBA district 

office or one of the SBA’s resource 

partners for assistance.

There are several ways a lender 

can request a 7(a) Guaranty for a 

proposed business loan from SBA. 

The main differences between these 

processing methods are based on 

the experience the lender has in 

requesting guarantees from SBA, the 

documentation the lender provides to 

SBA, the amount of review the SBA 

conducts after receiving the request, 

the amount of the loan and the lender 

responsibilities in case the loan 

defaults and the business’ assets must 

be liquidated. The current different 

processing methods are:

•Standard 7(a) Guaranty 

• Certified Lender Program 

•Preferred Lender Program 

•SBA Express

• Export Express

• Community Advantage

When a lender requests a 7(a) 

guaranty for a business loan they 

propose to provide a small business 

their application consist of two parts. 

The applicant fills out SBA Form 1919 

while the lender completes SBA Form 

1920. The Form 1919 is designed for 

the applicant to explain what they 

intend to do with the money and how 

they will repay the loan. The Form 

1920 requires the lender to explain 

their analysis of the eligibility and 

credit merits of the request. 

When the request loan amount is 

smaller (generally under $350,000) the 

lender is allowed to provide SBA with 

less information in their application 

for guaranty but that does not mean 

the applicant business can provide 

the lender with less information. 

The lender has the ability to ask the 

applicant for as much detail as they 

believe is necessary for them to make 

their decision on the specific request. 

 When the SBA receives a request 

for guaranty from a lender they will 

either re-analyze, review or trust the 

lender’s eligibility and credit analysis 

before deciding to approve or reject the 

request. See the section on 7(a) Loan 

Processing from Lenders later on in 

this article for more detail on what 

SBA does when it receives a request 

for guaranty from the lender.

By guaranteeing a loan, the SBA 

assures the lender that, in the event 

the borrower does not repay the loan, 

the government will reimburse the 

lending institution for a percentage of 

the amount owed. By providing this 

guaranty, the SBA is able to help tens 

of thousands of small businesses every 

year get financing they might not 

otherwise obtain.

When SBA approves a guaranty they 

notify the lender who will work with 

the applicant to make sure the terms 

and conditions designed for the specific 

loan are met before closing. The 

lender also disburses the funds and 

assumes responsibility for collecting 

the payments and general servicing. 

The borrower makes loan payments 

directly to the lender. As with any 

loan, the borrower is obligated to 

repay the full amount of the loan in a 

timely manner.

What the SBA Looks for:

• Ability to repay the loan on time 

from the projected operating cash 

flow;

• Owners and operators who are of 

good character;

• Feasible business plan;

• Management expertise and 

commitment necessary for 

success;

• Sufficient funds, including 

(but not limited to) the SBA 

guaranteed loan, to operate the 

business on a sound financial 

basis (for new businesses, this 

includes the resources to meet 

start-up expenses and the initial 

operating phase);

• Adequate equity invested in the 

business; and

• Enough collateral to fully secure 

the loan or, all worthwhile 

available business collateral plus 

personal real estate if the loan 

cannot be fully secured.

The Impact of a Credit Score

SBA also credit scores every 

business that is a potential recipient of 

a loan guaranteed by SBA. If the loan 

is for $350,000 or less, the credit score 

obtained will have a significant impact 

on the amount of work the lender has 

to complete when applying for an SBA 

guaranty. As such it is important for 

any owner of a business to be aware 

of their credit score and correct any 

discrepancies prior to approaching 

their lender. 

What to Take to the Lender
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 19

Guaranty and Other Fees

Loans guaranteed by the SBA are 

assessed a guaranty fee. This fee is 

based on the loan’s maturity and the 

dollar amount guaranteed, not the total 

dollar amount of the loan. The guaranty 

fee is initially paid by the lender and 

then passed on to the borrower at 

closing. The funds the business needs to 

reimburse the lender can be included in 

the overall loan proceeds. 

On any loan with a maturity of one 

year or less, the fee is just 0.25 percent 

of the guaranteed portion of the loan. 

On loans with maturities of more than 

one year, the normal guaranty fee is:

• 2.0 percent of the SBA guaranteed 

portion on loans up to $150,000; **

• 3.0 percent on loans over $150,000 

but not more than $700,000; and 

• 3.5 percent on loans over $700,000. 

There is also an additional fee of 

0.25 percent on any guaranteed 

portion over $1 million. 

 * All references to the prime rate 

refer to the base rate in effect on the 

first business day of the month the loan 

application is received by the SBA.

** For all SBA-guaranteed loans of 

$150,000 or less that are approved 

between October 1, 2015 and September 

30, 2016, the guaranty fee will be 0%.

 Benefit For Veterans and/or 

Spouses: Any guaranteed loans 

approved to businesses owned by 

Veterans of any era or their Spouses 

during fiscal year 2016 (October 1, 

2015 through September 30, 2016) will 

receive the benefit of having its regular 

guaranty fee reduced by 50%, when the 

loan is over $150,000.

If the loan being provided a business 

owner by qualifying veterans is for 

$150,000 or less and the lender chooses 

to apply for its guaranty of that loan by 

using Express processing procedures 

(described elsewhere in this article) 

then the guaranty fee will be zero as 

long as the guaranty is approved before 

September 30, 2016.

The lender may not charge a 

prepayment penalty if the loan is paid 

off before maturity but the SBA will 

charge the borrower a prepayment fee 

if the loan has a maturity of 15 or more 

years and is pre-paid during the first 

three years.

7(a) Loan Maturities

The SBA’s loan programs are 

generally intended to encourage longer 

term small-business financing, but 

actual loan maturities are based on 

the ability to repay, the purpose of the 

loan proceeds and the useful life of the 

assets financed. Maturity generally 

ranges from 7 to 10 years for working 

capital, business start-ups, and business 

acquisition type loans, and up to 25 

years if the purpose is to acquire real 

estate or fixed assets with a long term 

useful life.

Collateral

The SBA expects every 7(a) loan 

to be secured first with the assets 

acquired with the loan proceeds and 

then with additional business and 

personal assets, depending upon the 

loan amount and the way the lender 

requests their guaranty. However, SBA 

will not decline a request to guaranty 

a loan if the only unfavorable factor 

is insufficient collateral, provided all 

available collateral is offered. When 

the lender says they will need an 

SBA guaranty, the applicant should 

be prepared for liens to be placed 

against all business assets. Personal 

guaranties are required from all the 

principal owners of the business. Liens 

on personal assets of the principals may 

also be required. SBA does not require 

any collateral for any 7(a) guaranteed 

loan for $25,000 or less but the lender 

can require collateral if they chose. 

Loan Structure

The structure of a Basic 7(a) Loan 

is that repayment has to be set up so 

the loan is paid in full by maturity. 

Over the term of the loan there can 

be additional payments or payment 

relaxation depending on what Is 

happening with the business. Balloon 

payments and call provisions are not 

allowed on any 7(a) term loan. 

Eligibility

7(a) loan eligibility is based on a 

number of different factors, ranging 

from Size and Nature of Business to 

Use of Proceeds and factors that are 

case specific. 

Size Eligibility

The first eligibility factor is size, as 

all loan recipients must be classified as 

“small” by the SBA. The size standards 

for all 7(a) loans are outlined below. A 

more in-depth listing of standards can 

be found at: www.sba.gov/size.

SBA Size Standards have the following 

general ranges:

• Manufacturing — from 500 to 1,500 

employees

• Wholesale Trades — Up to 100 

employees

• Services — $2 million to $35.5 

million in average annual receipts

• Retail Trades — $7 million to $35.5 

million in average annual receipts

• Construction — $7 million to $33.5 

million in average annual receipts

• Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, 

and Hunting — $750,000 to $17.5 

million in average annual receipts

There is an alternate size standard 

for businesses that do not qualify under 

their industry size standards for SBA 

funding. That Alternative is that the 

applicant business (plus affiliates can’t 

have a tangible net worth exceeding 

$15 million and average net income 

exceeding $5 million for the last two 

years. This new alternate makes more 

businesses eligible for SBA loans 

and applies to SBA non-disaster loan 

programs, namely its 7(a) Business 

Loans and Certified Development 

Company programs. 

Nature of Business 

The second eligibility factor is based 

on the nature of the business and the 

process by which it generates income or 

the customers it serves. The SBA has 

general prohibitions against providing 

financial assistance to businesses 

involved in such activities as lending, 

speculating, passive investment, 

pyramid sales, loan packaging, 

presenting live performances of a 

prurient nature, businesses involved in 

gambling and any illegal activity. 

The SBA also cannot make loan 

guaranties to non-profit businesses, 

private clubs that limit membership on 

a basis other than capacity, businesses 

that promote a religion, businesses 

owned by individuals incarcerated or 

on probation or parole, municipalities, 

and situations where the business or 

its owners previously failed to repay 

a federal loan or federally assisted 

financing, or are delinquent on existing 

federal debt.

Use of Proceeds

The third eligibility factor is Use of 

Proceeds. A Basic 7(a) Loan can provide 

proceeds to purchase machinery, 

equipment, fixtures, supplies, and 

to make improvements to land and/

or buildings that will be occupied 

by the subject applicant business. 

Proceeds can also be used to:

• Permanent Working Capital;

• Purchase Inventory;

• Expand or renovate facilities;

• Acquire machinery, equipment, 

furniture, fixtures and leasehold 

improvements; 

• Acquire a business;

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• Start a business; 

• Acquire Land and Build a Location 

for the applicant business; and 

• Refinance existing debt under 

certain conditions.

SBA 7(a) loan proceeds cannot be 

used:

• For the purpose of making 

investments. 

• To provide funds to any of the 

owners of the business except for 

ordinary compensation for actual 

services provided.

• For Floor Plan Financing

• For a purpose that does not benefit 

the business

Miscellaneous Factors

The fourth factor involves a variety 

of requirements such as SBA’s credit 

elsewhere test where the personal 

resources of the owners need to be 

checked to see if they can make a 

contribution before getting a loan 

guaranteed by the SBA. It also includes 

the SBA’s anti-discrimination rules and 

limitations on lending to agricultural 

enterprises because there are other 

agencies of the Federal government 

with programs to fund such businesses.

Generally, SBA loans must meet the 

following criteria:

• Every loan must be for a sound 

business purpose;

• There must be sufficient invested 

equity in the business so it can 

operate on a sound financial basis;

• There must be a potential for longterm success;

• The owners must be of good 

character and reputation; and

• All loans must be so sound as to 

reasonably assure repayment.

For more information, go to 

www.sba.gov/apply.

SPECIAL PURPOSE 

7(a) LOAN PROGRAMS

The 7(a) loan program is the most 

flexible of the SBA’s lending programs. 

Over time, the Agency has developed 

several variations of the Basic 7(a) Loan 

in order to address specific financing 

needs for particular types of small 

businesses or to give the lender greater 

flexibility with the loan’s structure. 

The general distinguishing feature 

between these loan types is their use 

of proceeds. These programs allow the 

proceeds to be used in ways that are 

not otherwise permitted in a basic 7(a) 

loan. These special purpose programs 

are not necessarily for all businesses 

but may be very useful to some small 

businesses. They are generally governed 

by the same rules, regulations, fees, 

interest rates, etc., as the basic 7(a) 

loan. Lenders can advise you of any 

variations. The Special Purpose Loans 

include:

International Trade Loan Program

The SBA’s International Trade 

Loan (ITL) is designed to help 

small businesses enter and expand 

into international markets or, 

when adversely affected by import 

competition, to make the investments 

necessary to better compete. The ITL 

offers a combination of fixed asset, 

working capital financing and debt 

refinancing with the SBA’s maximum 

guaranty--90 percent--on the total loan 

amount. The maximum loan amount is 

$5 million.

Guaranty Coverage 

 The SBA can guaranty up to 90 

percent of an ITL up to a maximum 

of $4.5 million, less the amount of 

the guaranteed portion of other SBA 

loans outstanding to the borrower. The 

maximum guaranty for any working 

capital component of an ITL is limited 

to $4 million. Any other working capital 

SBA loans that the borrower has are 

counted against the $4 million guaranty 

limit. 

Use of Proceeds

• For the facilities and equipment 

portion of the loan, proceeds may be 

used to acquire, construct, renovate, 

modernize, improve or expand 

facilities or equipment in the 

U.S. to produce goods or services 

involved in international trade, 

including expansion due to bringing 

production back from overseas if 

the borrower exports to at least one 

market. 

• Working capital is an allowable use 

of proceeds under the ITL.

• Proceeds may be used for the 

refinancing of debt not structured 

on reasonable terms and conditions, 

including any debt that qualifies for 

refinancing under the standard SBA 

7(a) Loan Program.

Loan Term 

• Maturities on the working capital 

portion of the ITL are typically 

limited to 10 years. 

• Maturities of up to 10 years on 

equipment unless the useful life 

exceeds 10 years. 

• Maturities of up to 25 years are 

available for real estate.

• Loans with a mixed use of fixedasset and working-capital financing 

will have a blended-average 

maturity.

Exporter Eligibility

• Applicants must meet the same 

eligibility requirements as for the 

SBA’s standard 7(a) Loan Program.

• Applicants must also establish that 

the loan will allow the business to 

expand or develop an export market 

or demonstrate that the business 

has been adversely affected by 

import competition and that the ITL 

will allow the business to improve 

its competitive position. 

Foreign Buyer Eligibility 

 Foreign buyers must be located in 

those countries where the ExportImport Bank of the U.S. is not 

prohibited from providing financial 

assistance. 

Collateral Requirements 

• Only collateral located in the 

U.S. (including its territories and 

possessions) is acceptable.

• First lien on property or equipment 

financed by the ITL or on other 

assets of the business is required. 

However, an ITL can be secured 

by a second lien position if the 

SBA determines there is adequate 

assurance of loan repayment.

• Additional collateral, including 

personal guaranties and those 

assets not financed with ITL 

proceeds, may be appropriate. 

 A small business wanting to qualify 

as adversely impacted from import 

competition must submit supporting 

documentation that explains the 

impact, and a plan with projections 

that explains how the loan will 

improve the business’ competitive 

position. 

 

Export Working Capital Program

The SBA’s Export Working Capital 

Program (EWCP) assists businesses 

exporters in meeting their short-term 

export working capital needs. Exporters 

can use the proceeds to make the 

products they will be exporting. They 

can also apply for such lines of credit 

prior to finalizing an export sale or 

contract. With an approved EWCP 

loan in place, exporters have greater 

flexibility in negotiating export payment 

terms—secure in the assurance that 

adequate financing will be in place 

when the export order is won.
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 21

Benefits of the EWCP

• Financing for suppliers, inventory 

or production of export goods.

• Export working capital during long 

payment cycles.

• Financing for stand-by letters of 

credit used as bid or performance 

bonds or advance payment 

guarantees.

• Reserves domestic working capital 

for the company’s sales within the 

U.S.

• Permits increased global 

competitiveness by allowing the 

exporter to extend more liberal sales 

terms.

• Increases sales prospects in underdeveloped markets which may have 

high capital costs for importers.

• Low fees and quick processing 

times.

Guaranty Coverage

• Maximum loan amount is 

$5,000,000.

• 90 percent of principal and accrued 

interest up to 120 days.

• Low guaranty fee of one-quarter 

of one percent of the guaranteed 

portion for loans with maturities of 

12 months or less.

• Loan maturities are generally for 12 

months or less, but can be up to a 

maximum of 36 months.

Use of Proceeds

• To pay for the manufacturing costs 

of goods for export.

• To purchase goods or services for 

export.

• To support standby letters of credit 

to act as bid or performance bonds.

• To finance foreign accounts 

receivable.

Interest Rates

The SBA does not establish or 

subsidize interest rates on loans. The 

interest rate can be fixed or variable 

and is negotiated between the borrower 

and the participating lender.

Advance Rates

• Up to 90 percent on purchase 

orders.

• Up to 90 percent on documentary 

letters of credit.

• Up to 85 (90 percent on insured) 

foreign accounts receivable.

• Up to 75 percent on eligible foreign 

inventory located within the U.S.

• In all cases, not to exceed the 

exporter’s costs.

Collateral Requirements

The export-related inventory and the 

receivables generated by the export 

sales financed with EWCP funds 

generally will be considered adequate 

collateral. The SBA requires the 

personal guarantee of owners with 20 

percent or more ownership.

How to apply

Application is made directly to SBAparticipating lenders. Businesses are 

encouraged to contact SBA staff at their 

local U.S. Export Assistance Center 

(USEAC) to discuss whether they are 

eligible for the EWCP and whether it is 

the appropriate tool to meet their export 

financing needs. Participating lenders 

review/approve the application and 

submit the guaranty request to SBA 

staff at the local USEAC.

CAPLines

The CAPLines Program is designed 

to help small businesses meet their 

short-term and cyclical working capital 

needs. The programs can be used to 

finance seasonal working capital needs; 

finance the direct costs of performing 

certain construction, service and supply 

contracts, subcontracts, or purchase 

orders; finance the direct cost associated 

with commercial and residential 

construction; or provide general working 

capital lines of credit. The maturity 

can be for up to 10 years except for 

the Builders Capline which is limited 

to 36 months after the first structure 

is completed. Guaranty percentages 

are the same as for a Basic 7(a) Loan. 

There are four distinct short term loan 

programs under the CAPLine umbrella:

• The Contract Loan Program is 

used to finance the cost associated 

with contracts, subcontracts, or 

purchase orders. Proceeds can be 

disbursed before the work begins. If 

used for one contract or subcontract, 

it is generally not revolving; if 

used for more than one contract 

or subcontract at a time, it can be 

revolving. The loan maturity is 

usually based on the length of the 

contract, but no more than 10 years. 

Contract payments are generally 

sent directly to the lender but 

alternative structures are available.

• The Seasonal Line of Credit 

Program is used to support 

buildup of inventory, accounts 

receivable or labor and materials 

above normal usage for seasonal 

inventory. The business must have 

been in business for a period of 12 

months and must have a definite 

established seasonal pattern. The 

loan may be used over again after 

a “clean-up” period of 30 days to 

finance activity for a new season. 

These loans also may have a 

maturity of up to five years. The 

business may not have another 

seasonal line of credit outstanding 

but may have other lines for nonseasonal working capital needs. 

• The Builders Line Program

provides financing for small 

contractors or developers to 

construct or rehabilitate residential 

or commercial property. Loan 

maturity is generally three years 

but can be extended up to five 

years, if necessary, to facilitate 

sale of the property. Proceeds are 

used solely for direct expenses of 

acquisition, immediate construction 

and/or significant rehabilitation 

of the residential or commercial 

structures. The purchase of the land 

can be included if it does not exceed 

20 percent of the loan proceeds. Up 

to 5 percent of the proceeds can be 

used for physical improvements 

that benefit the property.

• The Working Capital Line 

Program is a revolving line of credit 

(up to $5,000,000) that provides 

short term working capital. These 

lines of credit are generally used 

by businesses that provide credit to 

their customers, or whose principle 

asset is inventory. Disbursements 

are generally based on the size of a 

borrower’s accounts receivable and/

or inventory. Repayment comes 

from the collection of accounts 

receivable or sale of inventory. The 

specific structure is negotiated with 

the lender. There may be extra 

servicing and monitoring of the 

collateral for which the lender can 

charge up to 2 percent annually to 

the borrower. 

Other Guaranty Lines of Credit

All the Special Purpose Programs 

listed above have SBA structured 

repayment terms meaning the Agency 

tells the lender how principal and 

interest is to be repaid. These programs 

also require the lender to use certain 

closing forms. Lenders with the ability 

to obtain 7(a) guarantees through any 

of the Express processes are considered 

experienced enough to be able to 

structure their own repayment terms 

and use their own closing documents. 

With this ability the lender can tailor 

a line of credit that it gets guaranteed 

by SBA to the needs of the business. 

Therefore, if a potential applicant sees 

that the previously listed Basic 7(a) or 

Special Purpose 7(a) Programs don’t 

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meet their needs they should discuss 

their options with a lender capable of 

providing an SBA Express or Export 

Express loan with an SBA guaranty.

SBAExpress

The SBAExpress Loan or Line of 

Credit is a flexible smaller loan up 

to $350,000 that a designated lender 

can provide to its borrower using 

mostly their own forms, analysis and 

procedures to process, structure, service, 

and disburse this SBA-guaranteed 

loan. When structured as a term loan 

the proceeds and maturity are the 

same as a Basic 7(a) Loan. When 

structured as a revolving line of credit 

the requirements for the payment 

of interest and principal are at the 

discretion of the lender and maturity 

can’t exceed 7 years. 

Export Express

SBA’s Export Express loans offers 

flexibility and ease of use for both 

borrowers and lenders on loans up to 

$500,000. It is the simplest export loan 

product offered by the SBA.

Use of Proceeds

Loan proceeds may be used for 

business purposes that will enhance a 

company’s export development. Export 

Express can take the form of a term 

loan or a revolving line of credit. As 

an example, proceeds can be used to 

fund participation in a foreign trade 

show, finance standby letters of credit, 

translate product literature for use in 

foreign markets, finance specific export 

orders, as well as to finance expansions, 

equipment purchases, and inventory or 

real estate acquisitions, etc.

Ineligible Use of Proceeds

Proceeds may not be used to finance 

overseas operations other than those 

strictly associated with the marketing 

and/or distribution of products/services 

exported from the U.S.

Interest Rates

Terms are negotiated between the 

borrower and lender but interest rates 

may not exceed Prime plus 4.5 percent 

on loans over $50,000 and Prime plus 

6.5 percent on loans of $50,000 or less.

Exporter Eligibility

Any business that has been in 

operation, although not necessarily in 

exporting, for at least 12 full months 

and can demonstrate that the loan 

proceeds will support its export 

activity is eligible for Export Express. 

The one year in business operations 

requirement can be waived if the 

applicant can demonstrate previous 

successful business experience and 

exporting expertise and the lender does 

conventional underwriting, not relying 

solely on credit scoring. 

Foreign Buyer Eligibility 

The exporter’s foreign buyer must be 

a creditworthy entity and not located 

in countries prohibited for financial 

support on the Export-Import Bank’s 

Country Limitation Schedule and the 

methods of payment must be acceptable 

to the SBA and the SBA lender.

How to Apply

Interested businesses should contact 

their existing lender to determine 

if they are an SBA Export Express 

lender. Application is made directly 

to the lender. Lenders use their own 

application material in addition to 

SBA’s Borrower Information Form. 

Lenders’ approved requests are then 

submitted with a limited amount of 

eligibility information to SBA’s National 

Loan Processing Center for review.

7(a) LOAN PROCESSES FOR 

LENDERS

There are various ways a lender 

can apply to SBA for a 7(a) guaranty. 

Some are designed for experienced 

lenders who are fully committed to 

providing business loans guaranteed 

by SBA to their clientele that need 

them, while others are designed for 

lenders with limited experience or 

when there are certain issues that 

require SBA to thoroughly review the 

situation. The fundamental process 

available to all lenders who have 

signed up to participate with SBA is 

called the Standard Loan Guaranty 

Process. It is used by lenders to request 

a guaranty from SBA when they are 

new to SBA lending or the request 

requires an SBA review. Other methods 

of processing a request for guaranty 

have less requirements for SBA, so the 

time SBA take Is less, but potentially 

more requirements or responsibilities 

for the lender. The determining factors 

on which one is use depends on the 

experience of the lender in dealing 

with SBA, the complexity of the case, 

the purpose of the loan, and the dollar 

amount being requested.

Standard 7(a) Loan Processing

After the applicant business and 

lender complete their required 

documents, the lender makes 

application to SBA for a guaranty 

by submitting them to SBA’s Loan 

Guaranty Processing Center. The 

center will screen the application and, if 

satisfactory complete a thorough review 

of both eligibility and creditworthiness 

before making the decision to approve 

the issuance of a guaranty as submitted, 

approve with modifications (which 

will be discussed with the lender), or 

reject the request. When the lender 

makes application to SBA, they have 

already internally agreed to approve 

the recommended loan to the applicant 

if, and only if, the SBA provides a 

guaranty. 

Standard processing means a lender 

makes their request for guaranty using 

SBA Form 1920 and the applicant 

completes SBA Form 1919, even if the 

applicant previously completed the 

lender’s required application forms. 

 The analysis of eligibility starts with a 

review of the “Eligibility Questionnaire,” 

completed by the lender. The analysis 

of credit starts with a review of the 

SBA Form 1920 and the lender’s credit 

memo which must discuss at least six 

elements:

1. Balance sheet and ratio analysis;

2. Analysis of repayment. It is not 

acceptable to base repayment ability 

solely on the applicant’s credit score. 

3. Assessment of the management 

skills of the applicant;

4. Explanation of the collateral used to 

secure the loan and the adequacy of 

the proposed collateral;

5. Lender’s credit history with 

applicant including an explanation 

of any weaknesses;

6. Current financial statements and 

pro-forma financial spread. SBA 

pro-forma analysis reflects how 

the business will look immediately 

following disbursement, not one 

year after disbursement.

 SBA also expects that the lender’s 

credit memo includes the intended 

use of the loan proceeds and any 

historical and current issues that 

require explanation. SBA also expects 

a discussion of the process by which the 

applicant business generates its income 

when it is not immediately obvious. 

An explanation of how the business 

conducts its operation is also expected. 

 SBA has three days to screen 

and 10 days to process the request 

for guaranty from the lender. Any 

additional time a lender takes to make 

their determination prior to requesting 
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a guaranty from SBA will add to the 

length of time to reach a final decision. 

If the guaranty is approved, SBA will 

prepare a loan authorization outlining 

the terms and conditions under which 

the guaranty is provided and prepare an 

approval letter for transmission to the 

lender.

Certified Processing

SBA has a Certified Lenders Program 

(CLP) which lenders with more 

experience and commitment to SBA 

lender can obtain which allows them 

to request a 7(a) guaranty through a 

process similar to the Standard process 

except the SBA will only review the 

lenders request rather than re-analyze.

Preferred Processing

SBA has a Preferred Lenders 

Program (PLP) designed for lenders 

who have been delegated the authority 

to make both the eligibility and credit 

decisions without a second look by 

SBA. This process is used by the most 

experienced lenders who have the 

most dedicated staffs ready to review 

requests for financial assistance from 

existing and potential customers in 

order to see if they need to become SBA 

guaranteed loans.

SBAExpress Processing

The SBAExpress guaranty is available 

to lenders as a way to obtain a guaranty 

on smaller loans up to $350,000. The 

program authorizes select, experienced 

lenders to use mostly their own forms, 

analysis and procedures to process, 

structure, service, and disburse SBAguaranteed loans. The SBA guarantees 

up to 50 percent of an SBAExpress 

loan. Loans under $25,000 do not 

require collateral. The use of proceeds 

for a term loan is the same as for any 

Basic 7(a) Loan. Like most 7(a) loans, 

maturities are usually five to seven 

years for working capital and up to 

25 years for real estate or equipment. 

Revolving lines of credit are allowed for 

a maximum of seven years.

Export Express Processing

SBA Export Express offers 

flexibility and ease of use for lenders. 

Participating lenders may use their 

own forms, procedures and analyses. 

The SBA provides the lender with an 

immediate response. This loan is subject 

to the same loan processing, closing, 

servicing and liquidation requirements 

as for other similar-sized SBA loans. 

Guaranty Coverage

The SBA provides lenders with a 

90 percent guaranty on loans up to 

$350,000 and a 75 percent guaranty on 

loans between $350,001 and $500,000.

Community Advantage Loans

The Community Advantage Pilot 

Program is aimed at helping businesses 

located in underserved communities 

gain access to capital by opening up 7(a) 

lending to mission-focused, communitybased lenders — such as Community 

Development Financial Institutions 

(CDFIs), Certified Development 

Companies (CDCs), and SBA Microloan 

Intermediaries. These lenders provide 

technical assistance and economic 

development support to businesses 

located in underserved markets. 

The application process is the same 

as for a Basic 7(a) Loan. The main 

difference with this program from other 

SBA 7(a) loan programs is the lender 

who ultimately provides the loan funds 

is not a traditional SBA lender. The 

maximum loan amount is $350,000.

 Visit: www.sba.gov/content/communityadvantage-loans for more information 

about this program.
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CERTIFIED DEVELOPMENT 

COMPANY LOAN PROGRAM 

(504 LOANS)

The 504 Loan program is an economic 

development program that supports 

American small business growth and 

helps communities through business 

expansion and job creation. The 504 

loan program provides long-term, fixedrate, subordinate mortgage financing 

for acquisition and/or renovation of 

capital assets including land, buildings 

and equipment. Some refinancing is 

also permitted. Most for-profit small 

businesses are eligible for this program. 

The types of businesses excluded from 

7(a) loans (listed previously) are also 

excluded from the 504 loan program.

The SBA’s 504 Certified Development 

Companies (CDC) serve their 

communities by financing business 

expansion needs. Their professional 

staff works directly with borrowers to 

tailor a financing package that meets 

program guidelines and the credit 

capacity of the borrower’s business. 

CDCs work with banks and other 

lenders to make loans in first position 

on reasonable terms, helping lenders 

retain growing customers and provide 

Community Reinvestment Act credit.

The SBA 504 loan is distinguished 

from the SBA 7(a) loan program in 

these ways:

The maximum debenture, or long-term 

loan, is: 

• $5 million for businesses that create 

a certain number of jobs or improve 

the local economy;

• $5 million for businesses that 

meet a specific public policy goal, 

including loans for aiding rural 

development and expansion of small 

businesses owned by veterans, 

women, and minorities; and

• $5.5 million for manufacturers and 

energy related public policy projects.

 Recent additions to the program 

allow $5.5 million for each project 

that reduces the borrower’s energy 

consumption by at least 10 percent; 

and $5.5 million for each project that 

generates renewable energy fuels, such 

as biodiesel or ethanol production. 

Projects eligible for up to $5.5 million 

under one of these two requirements 

do not have to meet the job creation or 

retention requirement, so long as the 

CDC portfolio reflects an average jobs to 

debenture portfolio ratio of at least 1 job 

per $65,000.

• Eligible project costs are limited 

to long-term, fixed assets such 

as land and building (occupied 

by the borrower) and substantial 

machinery and equipment.

• Most borrowers are required 

to make an injection (borrower 

contribution) of just 10 percent 

which allows the business to 

conserve valuable operating 

capital. A further injection of 5 

percent is needed if the business 

is a start-up or new (less than two 

years old), and a further injection 

of 5 percent is also required if the 

primary collateral will be a singlepurpose building (such as a hotel).

• Two-tiered project financing: A 

lender finances approximately 

50 percent of the project cost and 

receives a first lien on the project 

assets (but no SBA guaranty); A 

CDC (backed by a 100 percent 

SBA-guaranteed debenture) 

finances up to 40 percent of the 

project costs secured with a junior 

lien. The borrower provides the 

balance of the project costs.

• Fixed interest rate on SBA 

loan. The SBA guarantees 

the debenture 100 percent. 

Debentures are sold in pools 

monthly to private investors. This 

low, fixed rate is then passed on to 

the borrower and establishes the 

basis for the loan rate. 

• All project-related costs can be 

financed, including acquisition 

(land and building, land and 

construction of building, 

renovations, machinery and 

equipment) and soft costs, such 

as title insurance and appraisals. 

Some closing costs may be 

financed.

• Collateral is typically a 

subordinate lien on the assets 

financed; allows other assets to 

be free of liens and available to 

secure other needed financing.

• Long-term real estate loans are up 

to 20-year term, heavy equipment 

10- or 20-year term and are selfamortizing.

Businesses that receive 504 loans are:

• Small — net worth under $15 

million, net profit after taxes under 

$5 million, or meet other SBA size 

standards.

• Organized for-profit.

• Most types of business — retail, 

service, wholesale or manufacturing.

For information, visit 

www.sba.gov/504. 

Evergreen Business Capital

P.O. Box 3673

Palmer, AK 99645-3673

907-746-5047 or

800-878-6613 Toll Free, Main Office

www.evergreen504.com 

MICROLOAN PROGRAM 

(LOANS UP TO $50,000)

The Microloan Program provides 

very small loans (up to $50,000) to 

women, low-income, minority, veteran, 

and other small business owners 

through a network of more than 100 

Intermediaries nationwide. Under 

this program, the SBA makes funds 

available to nonprofit intermediaries 

that, in turn, make the small loans 

directly to start-up and existing 

businesses. Entrepreneurs work directly 

with the Intermediaries to receive 

financing and business knowledge 

support. The proceeds of a microloan 

can be used for working capital, or the 

purchase of furniture, fixtures, supplies, 

materials, and/or equipment. Microloans 

may not be used for the purchase of real 

estate. Interest rates are negotiated 

between the borrower and the 

Intermediary. The maximum term for 

a microloan is six years. Because funds 

are borrowed from the Intermediary, 

SBA is not involved in the business loan 

application or approval process. And, 

payments are made directly from the 

small business to the Intermediary.

The program also provides businessbased training and technical assistance 

to micro-borrowers and potential microborrowers to help them successfully 

start or grow their businesses. Such 

training and technical assistance may 

include general business education, 

assistance with business planning, 

industry-specific training, and other 

types of training support. 

Entrepreneurs and small business 

owners interested in small amounts 

of business financing should contact 

the nearest SBA district office for 

information about the nearest Microloan 

Program Intermediary Lender or go to 

www.sba.gov/microloans.

STATE TRADE AND EXPORT 

PROMOTION (STEP) 

PROGRAM

The State Trade and Export 

Promotion (STEP) Program is a pilot 

export initiative to make matchingfund awards to states to assist small 

businesses enter and succeed in the 

international marketplace. Activities to 

support small business exporting under 

the STEP Program are provided to 

eligible small business concerns (“STEP 

Clients”) located in states, territories, 

and the District of Columbia. For more 

information on the STEP program visit 

www.sba.gov/internationaltrade.
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 25

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SURETY BOND 

GUARANTEE PROGRAM

The Surety Bond Guarantee Program 

is a public-private partnership between 

the Federal government and surety 

companies to provide small businesses 

with the bonding assistance necessary 

for them to compete for public and 

private contracting and subcontracting 

opportunities. The guarantee provides 

an incentive for sureties to bond small 

businesses that would otherwise be 

unable to obtain bonding. The program 

is aimed at small businesses that lack 

the working capital or performance 

track record necessary to secure 

bonding on a reasonable basis through 

regular commercial channels.

Through this program, the SBA 

guarantees bid, payment, performance 

and ancillary bonds issued by surety 

companies for individual contracts and 

subcontracts up to $6.5 million. The 

SBA reimburses sureties between 70 

and 90 percent of losses sustained if a 

contractor defaults on the contract. On 

Federal contracts, SBA can guarantee 

bonds on contracts up to $10 million, if 

guarantee would be in the best interest 

of the Government.

SBA has two program components, 

the Prior Approval Program and the 

Preferred Surety Bond Program. In 

the Prior Approval Program, the SBA 

guarantees 90 percent of surety’s paid 

losses and expenses on bonded contracts 

up to $100,000, and on bonded contracts 

greater than $100,000 that are 

awarded to socially and economically 

disadvantaged concerns, HUBZone 

contractors, and veterans, and 

service-disabled veteran-owned small 

businesses. All other bonds guaranteed 

in the Prior Approval Program receive 

an 80 percent guarantee. Sureties must 

obtain the SBA’s prior approval for 

each bond guarantee issued. Under the 

Preferred Program, the SBA guarantees 

70 percent, and sureties may issue, 

monitor and service bonds without the 

SBA’s prior approval. 

Small businesses, surety companies, 

and bond agents are invited to visit our 

website at www.sba.gov/osg.

Participating agents and sureties may 

be found at http://web.sba.gov/orasbgpub/

dsp_welcome.cfm.

The program office may be reached at 

202-205-6540 or 

Tamara E. Murray

Underwriting Marketing Specialist

Denver, CO

303-927-3479 

Linda M. Laws

Underwriting Marketing Specialist

Seattle, WA

206-553-7317

SMALL BUSINESS 

INVESTMENT COMPANY 

PROGRAM

The Small Business Investment 

Company (SBIC) program is a multibillion dollar program founded in 1958, 

as one of many financial assistance 

programs available through the U.S. 

Small Business Administration. The 

structure of the program is unique in 

that SBICs are privately owned and 

managed investment funds, licensed 

and regulated by SBA, that use their 

own capital plus funds borrowed with 

an SBA guarantee to make equity 

and debt investments in qualifying 

small businesses. The funds raise 

private capital and can receive SBAguaranteed leverage up to three times 

private capital, with a leverage ceiling 

of $150 million per SBIC and $225 

million for two or more licenses under 

common control. Licensed SBICs are 

for-profit investment firms whose 

incentive is to share in the success 

of a small business. The U.S. Small 

Business Administration does not invest 

directly into small business through the 

SBIC Program, but provides funding 

through SBA guarantee debentures 

to qualified investment management 

firms with expertise in certain sectors or 

industries.

THE SMALL BUSINESS 

INNOVATION RESEARCH 

PROGRAM

The Small Business Innovation 

Research (SBIR) program is a highly 

competitive program that encourages 

domestic small businesses to engage 

in Federal Research/Research and 

Development (R/R&D) that has the 

potential for commercialization. 

Through a competitive awardsbased program, SBIR enables small 

businesses to explore their technological 
26 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

potential and provides the incentive to 

profit from its commercialization. By 

including qualified small businesses 

in the nation’s R&D arena, high-tech 

innovation is stimulated and the United 

States gains entrepreneurial spirit 

as it meets its specific research and 

development needs.

SBIR Program Eligibility

Only United States small businesses 

are eligible to participate in the SBIR 

program. An SBIR awardee must meet 

the following criteria at the time of 

Phase I and II awards:

1. Organized for profit, with a place 

of business located in the United 

States;

2. No more than 500 employees, 

including affiliates;

3. Be a concern which is more than 

50% directly owned and controlled 

by one or more individuals (who 

are citizens or permanent resident 

aliens of the United States), 

other small business concerns 

(each of which is more than 50% 

directly owned and controlled by 

individuals who are citizens or 

permanent resident aliens of the 

United States), or any combination 

of these;

4. Be a concern which is more than 

50% owned by multiple venture 

capital operating companies, hedge 

funds, private equity firms, or any 

combination of these (for agencies 

electing to use the authority in 15 

U.S.C. 638(dd)(1)); or

5. Be a joint venture in which each 

entity to the joint venture must 

meet the requirements set forth in 

paragraph (a)(1)(i) or (a)(1)(ii) of 

this section. A joint venture that 

includes one or more concerns 

that meet the requirements of 

paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of this section 

must comply with §121.705(b) 

concerning registration and 

proposal requirements.

6. No single venture capital operating 

company, hedge fund, or private 

equity firm may own more than 

50% of the concern.

7. For awards from agencies using the 

authority under 15 U.S.C. 638(dd)

(1), an awardee may be owned and 

controlled by more than one VC, 

hedge fund, or private equity firm 

so long as no one such firm owns a 

majority of the stock.

8. If an Employee Stock Ownership 

Plan owns all or part of the 

concern, each stock trustee and 

plan member is considered an 

owner.

9. If a trust owns all or part of the 

concern, each trustee and trust 

beneficiary is considered an owner.

10. Phase I awardees with multiple 

prior awards must meet the 

benchmark requirements for 

progress toward commercialization.

SBIR-Participating Agencies

Each year, Federal agencies with 

extramural research and development 

(R&D) budgets that exceed $100 million 

are required to reserve 2.9% (FY 15) 

of the extramural research budget 

for SBIR awards to small businesses. 

These agencies designate R&D topics 

and accept proposals. Currently, eleven 

agencies participate in the SBIR 

program:

• Department of Agriculture

• Department of Commerce - 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology

• Department of Commerce - 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

• Department of Defense

• Department of Education

• Department of Energy

• Department of Health and Human 

Services

• Department of Homeland Security

• Department of Transportation

• Environmental Protection Agency

• National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration

• National Science Foundation

For additional information visit 

www.sbir.gov. 

 

SMALL BUSINESS 

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER 

PROGRAM

Small Business Technology Transfer 

(STTR) is another program that 

expands funding opportunities in 

the federal innovation research and 

development (R&D) arena. Central to 

the program is expansion of the public/

private sector partnership to include 

the joint venture opportunities for 

small businesses and nonprofit research 

institutions. The unique feature of 

the STTR program is the requirement 

for the small business to formally 

collaborate with a research institution 

in Phase I and Phase II. STTR’s most 

important role is to bridge the gap 

between performance of basic science 

and commercialization of resulting 

innovations.

STTR Program Eligibility

Only United States small businesses 

are eligible to participate in the STTR 

program. The small business must meet 

all of the following criteria at time of 

award:

• Organized for profit, with a place 

of business located in the United 

States;

• At least 51 percent owned 

and controlled by one or more 

individuals who are citizens of, or 

permanent resident aliens in, the 

United States, and;

• No more than 500 employees, 

including affiliates.

The nonprofit research institution 

must also meet certain eligibility 

criteria:

• Located in the US

• Meet one of three definitions:

• Nonprofit college or university

• Domestic nonprofit research 

organization

• Federally funded R&D center 

(FFRDC)

STTR differs from SBIR in three 

important aspects:

1. The SBC and its partnering 

institution are required to 

establish an intellectual property 

agreement detailing the allocation 

of intellectual property rights 

and rights to carry out followon research, development or 

commercialization activities.

2. STTR requires that the SBC 

perform at least 40% of the R&D 

and the single partnering research 

institution to perform at least 30% 

of the R&D.

3. Unlike the SBIR program, STTR 

does not require the Principal 

Investigator to be primarily 

employed by the SBC.

STTR-Participating Agencies

Each year, Federal agencies with 

extramural research and development 

(R&D) budgets that exceed $1 billion 

are required to reserve 0.40% (FY 15) 

of the extramural research budget for 

STTR awards to small businesses. 

These agencies designate R&D topics 

and accept proposals. Currently, five 

agencies participate in the STTR 

program:

• Department of Defense

• Department of Energy

• Department of Health and Human 

Services

• National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration

• National Science Foundation

For additional information visit 

www.sbir.gov. 

CAPITAL
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 27

CAPITAL

The old adage “time is money” is 

perhaps one of the most pertinent 

statements that you can apply to 

small business owners. Whether 

you’re starting a business or managing 

a growing one, entrepreneurs and 

business owners wear many hats and 

have many questions:

• What laws and regulations apply 

to my business?

• How do I start to write a business 

plan?

• Where can I get help with X, Y 

and Z?

Many of us invariably turn to our 

networks and the Internet to find 

answers. But how can you trust that 

the information you are getting is truly 

applicable to your business and, let’s 

face it, even accurate?

As part of its mission to help 

business owners start, succeed and 

grow, SBA, through the SBA.gov 

website has developed numerous 

online tools and guides to help 

small businesses get information 

and answers they need quickly and 

efficiently. For example, these 

10 Steps to Starting a Business

and these 10 Steps to Hiring your 

First Employee guides are essential 

reading. Then there are the Licenses 

and Permits Search Tool and the 

Loans and Grants Search Tool.

New Online Tools to Help Business Owners 

Plan, Manage and Grow

The SBA has expanded its capacity 

and selection of tools and information 

that business owners need by 

developing a whole range of new online 

features! Check them out:

1. Find an SBA Lender through the 

Leveraging Information and Networks to 

access Capital (LINC) Tool

The SBA extends financial 

assistance to for-profit small 

businesses through its lending 

partners, such as banks, certified 

development companies, and 

microloan intermediaries. For 

help locating a lending partner in 

your area, use SBA’s LINC tool 

that matches small businesses 

with SBA lenders. LINC begins 

with a simple online form that 

requests basic information about 

your business and financing needs. 

That information is transmitted 

to all participating SBA lenders 

operating within your county. If 

a lender is interested, you will 

receive an email with the contact 

information for that lender. LINC 

can be accessed through SBA’s 

website at https://www.sba.gov/

tools/linc.

2. Get to Know Your Market and 

Competition Better with the SizeUp Tool

Want to know how your business 

stacks up against the competition? 

Where your potential competitors 

are located? Where the best places 

are to advertise your business? 

These are all critical inputs 

for your business plan and can 

also help back up any financing 

applications.

 

 Now with the new SizeUp tool you 

can crunch millions of data points 

and get customizable reports and 

statistics about your business and 

its competition. Just enter your 

industry, city, state and other 

details. SizeUp then runs various 

reports and provides maps and 

data related to your competition, 

suppliers and customers. It also 

highlights potential advertising 

opportunities.

3. Build a Business Plan Tool

 Business planning can seem a 

daunting task, but it doesn’t have 

to be that way. To help you plan 

and steer your business, this new 

“Build a Business Plan” tool guides 

you through the process of creating 

a basic, downloadable business 

plan. The great thing about it is 

you can build a plan in smaller 

chunks of time, save your progress 

and return at your leisure.

 To use the tool, simply log into 

SBA.gov and enter information into 

a template for each section of the 

business plan including, market 

analysis, company description and 

financial projections. The tool is 

secure and confidential and will 

keep your plan on record for up 

to six months. You can also save, 

download or email the plan at any 

time. 

4. Size Standards Tool - Find Out Fast if You 

Qualify for Government Contracts

 In order to be eligible to sell to 

the government and compete 

for small business “set-aside” 

contracts, business owners had to 

rummage through various rules 

and matrices to find out if their 

business is truly “small” according 

to SBA size standards. Now, with 

this new Size Standards Tool, you 

can follow three simple steps to 

cut through the guesswork and 

quickly find out if you qualify 

for government contracting 

opportunities. SBA also offers 

other resources including 

government contracting training 

courses, and guides to help you 

register as a contractor.

5. Events Calendar - Locate Business 

Training and Seminars

 SBA and its partners, including 

Small Business Development 

Centers, Women’s Business 

Centers, and SCORE, hold 

hundreds of small business 

training seminars and workshops 

across the country. Until now, 

there was no single repository for 

these events. Now, with SBA’s 

Events Calendar, you can quickly 

find and sign up for training. 

Enter a date range and/or zip 

code to locate events in your 

area. Results are filtered by topic 

such as “starting a business,” 

“managing a business,” “business 

planning,” and “financing a 

business.”

SBA ONLINE: WEB-BASED TOOLS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS
28 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

CAPITAL

Loan Programs for Businesses

Ways borrowers can use the money

(Information current as of 05/23/2016)

Program Who Qualifies Use of Proceeds Maturity Maximum Loan 

Amount

Structure Benefits to 

Borrower

Basic 7(a) For profit businesses 

that can meet SBA’s 

size standards, 

nature of business, 

use of proceeds, 

credit elsewhere, and 

other miscellaneous 

eligibility factors.

Acquire land; purchase 

existing building; convert, 

expand or renovate 

buildings; construct new 

buildings; acquire and 

install fixed assets; acquire 

inventory; purchase supplies 

and raw materials; purchase 

a business, start a business, 

leasehold improvements, 

term working capital; and, 

under certain conditions, to 

refinance certain outstanding 

debts

Based on the use 

of proceeds and 

borrower’s ability to 

repay. Not based on 

collateral. Maximum 

maturity: 10 years 

for working capital 

(seven years is 

common), 10 years 

for fixed assets,

25 years for real 

estate.

A Basic 7(a) can be 

for as much as $5 

million. SBA’s limit 

to any one business 

is $3.75 million so 

a business can 

have multiple loans 

guaranteed by SBA 

but the guaranteed 

portion combined 

cannot exceed

$3.75 million.

Term loans with one 

monthly payment of 

principal and interest (P&I). 

Borrower contribution 

required. Interest rate 

depends upon how lender 

applies for guaranty (see 

lender program chart). 

Cannot revolve, no balloon 

or call provisions.

Business can 

obtain financing not 

otherwise available, 

fixed maturity, 

available when 

collateral is limited. 

Can establish or 

re-affirm relationship 

with lender.

International 

Trade Loan 

(ITL)

Same as Basic 

7(a), plus, business 

must be engaged or 

preparing to engage 

in exporting or be 

adversely affected 

by competition from 

imports.

Acquire, renovate, 

modernize facilities or 

equipment used in making 

products or services to 

be exported, plus, for 

permanent working capital or 

to refinance business debts 

currently on unreasonable 

terms.

Same as Basic 7(a). Same as Basic 

7(a), but when 

borrower has both 

international trade 

and working capital 

loans guaranteed by 

the SBA, the limit on 

the guaranty for all 

working capital to 

any one business is 

$4 million.

Same as Basic 7(a). Same as Basic 7(a). 

Plus, long-term 

financing exportrelated fixed assets 

and working capital 

to ensure the 

company becomes 

more competitive.

Export 

Working 

Capital Loan 

(EWCP)

Same as Basic 

7(a). Plus, must 

be in business one 

year and engaged 

or preparing to 

engage in exporting. 

One-year in business 

requirement can be 

waived for principals 

with previous 

exporting and 

business expertise.

Short-term working capital 

to cover the costs of filling 

export orders, including 

ability to support an Export 

Stand-By Letter of Credit.

Can be up to a 

maximum of 36 

months but generally 

12 months or less.

Gross loan amount

$5.0 million with 

90% guaranty. 

SBA maximum 

guaranteed portion is 

$4.5 million.

Finance single or multiple 

transactions. Interest paid 

monthly, principal paid 

as payments from items 

shipped overseas are 

collected. Can be renewed 

annually. Extra servicing 

fees are allowed.. Can be 

transactional or revolving 

asset-based line of credit.

Provides U.S. 

exporters with a line 

of credit that can 

be separated from 

domestic operations 

line of credit. 

Can be used to 

finance 100% of the 

cost of filling export 

orders.

Seasonal 

CAPlines

Same as Basic 7(a). 

Plus, in business 

for at least one year 

and can demonstrate 

seasonal financing 

needs.

To finance the seasonal 

increases of accounts 

receivable, inventory and 

labor.

10 years Same as Basic 7(a). Short-term financing for 

seasonal activities to be 

repaid at the end of the 

season when payment 

for the seasonal activity is 

made to business

Provides opportunity 

for seasonal 

businesses to get 

seasonal financing 

not otherwise 

available.

Contract 

CAPlines

Same as Basic 7(a). 

Plus, will perform on 

contract or purchase 

order for some thirdparty buyer.

To finance the cost of one 

or more specific contract, 

sub-contract, or purchase 

order, including overhead or 

general and administrative 

expenses, allocable to the 

specific contract(s).

10 years Same as Basic 7(a). Short-term financing for 

performance of approved 

contract, sub-contract, or 

purchase order to be repaid 

when payment for the 

activity is made to business. 

Can be revolving or not.

Provides opportunity 

for contractors and 

sub-contractors to 

get financing not 

otherwise available.

Builders 

CAPlines

Same as Basic 

7(a). Plus, building/

renovating residential 

or commercial 

structure for re-sale 

without knowing 

buyer at time of 

approval.

For the direct expenses 

related to the construction 

and/or “substantial” 

renovation costs of specific 

residential or commercial 

buildings for resale, including 

labor, supplies, materials, 

equipment rental, direct fees. 

The cost of land is potentially 

eligible.

Maximum of three 

years to disburse and 

build or renovate. 

Extension possible to 

accommodate sale.

Same as Basic 7(a). Short-term financing to 

build or renovate home or 

building for sale to unknown 

third party. “Substantial” 

means rehabilitation 

expenses of more than onethird of the purchase price 

or fair market value at the 

time of application. Can be 

revolving or not.

Provides opportunity 

for residential and 

commercial builders 

to get financing not 

otherwise available.
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 29

CAPITAL

Program Who Qualifies Use of Proceeds Maturity Maximum Loan 

Amount

Structure Benefits to 

Borrower

Working 

Capital 

CAPlines

Same as Basic 7(a).

Borrower should 

sell on credit and/

or have inventory 

needing immediate 

replacement after 

the sale.

For short-term working 

capital and operating needs, 

including to finance export 

sales. Proceeds must not 

be used to pay delinquent 

withholding taxes or similar 

trust funds (state sales taxes, 

etc.) or for floor planning.

10 years Same as Basic 7(a). Structured with 

requirements for payment 

of principal tied to the 

businesses collection 

of payments from their 

clientele 

Provides opportunity 

for businesses that 

sell on credit to get 

revolving financing 

not otherwise 

available.

SBA Express 

Lender 

Structured 

Loans or 

Lines of 

Credit

Businesses needing 

a term loan or line 

of credit to conduct 

credit in the USA.

Term loan to support 

business operations 

Including equipment and real 

estate. Working capital

I.f revolving, sevenyear maximum, 

including term out 

period. . Equipment, 

useful life; real 

estate, 25 years.

$350,000 Structure is established by 

individual lender. Lender 

must have SBA Express 

designation

Has availability for 

a line of credit to 

help with short-term 

cash needs of the 

business.

Export 

Express 

Lender 

Structured 

Loans or 

Lines of 

Credit

Businesses needing 

a term loan or line 

of credit to support 

exporting activity.

Term loan to support 

business operations 

Including equipment and 

real estate. Working capital, 

70 percent of which is to be 

used to support exporting 

activities.

If revolving line of 

credit for working 

capital, seven-year 

maximum, including 

term out period. 

Equipment, useful 

life; real estate,

25 years.

$500,000 Structure is established by 

individual lender. Lender 

must have Export Express 

designation

Has availability for a 

line of credit or loan 

to help with shortterm cash needs 

of the business to 

support expanding 

export sales or to 

expand production 

for the sale of 

exported goods or 

services 

Non-7(a) Programs

504 Loan 

Program

For-profit businesses 

that can meet 

the SBA’s size 

standards, nature 

of business, use 

of proceeds, credit 

elsewhere, and 

other miscellaneous 

factors.

Non-7(a) Programs

For the acquisition of longterm fixed assets, equipment 

with a useful life of at 

least 10 years; refinance 

loan-term fixed asset debt 

under certain conditions; 

working capital under certain 

conditions; to reduce energy 

consumption; and to upgrade 

renewable energy resources.

Based on the use of 

proceeds. Twenty 

years for real 

estate. Ten years 

for machinery and 

equipment.

The SBA portion of 

the financing can 

generally be up to 

$5.0 million but may 

be up to $5.5 million 

for manufacturing 

businesses or energy 

saving public policy 

goals.

Loans packaged by 

Certified Development 

Companies (CDC) and 

designed to finance up to 

40 percent of a “project”1

secured with a 2nd 

position lien. Another loan 

from a third party lender 

financing up to 50 percent 

of the same project 

secured in 1st position, 

and borrower contribution 

of at least 10 percent. 

Extra contributions for 

special-purpose properties 

and new businesses.

Long-term Treasury 

fixed rates that are 

below market, low 

borrower contribution 

only 10 to 20 percent, 

full amortization with 

no call or balloon 

conditions.

Microloan 

Program

Same as Basic 7(a). 

Plus, nonprofit childcare businesses.

Similar to Basic 7(a). Plus, 

start-up nonprofit child-care 

businesses

Shortest term 

possible, not to 

exceed six years.

$50,000 to the small 

business at any 

given time.

The SBA provides a loan 

to a nonprofit micro-lender 

called an “intermediary” 

who uses the proceeds to 

make microloans to small 

businesses. Technical 

assistance can also be 

provided.

Direct loan 

from nonprofit 

intermediary lender, 

fixed-rate financing, 

can be very small 

loan amounts, and 

technical assistance 

is available.

1 “Project” is the purchase or lease, and/or improvement or renovation of long-term fixed assets by a small business, with 504 financing, for use in its business operations.

All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
30 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

CAPITAL

Lender’s Programs Chart

Ways lenders can request guarantees

(Information current as of 04/27/2016)

Program 

Processing

Which Lenders 

Qualify

Types of Loans that 

can be Guaranteed

Maximum Allowable 

Interest Rates

Eligibility Analysis Credit Analysis Maximum Loan 

Amount

Standard 

Processing

Lenders that 

have an executed 

participation 

agreement with the 

SBA. Export Working 

Capital requires 

additional 750-EX 

agreement.

Basic 7(a). International 

Trade, Export Working 

Capital, all CAPlines.

Base rate is Wall 

Street Journal prime, 

or LIBOR* one month 

rate plus 3 percent, or 

SBA Peg rate. Plus, an 

allowable spread from 

2.25 to 2.75 percent 

based on term. Lender 

can add 2 percent if 

loan is$25,000 or less, 

and 1 percent if loan is 

$25,001 to $50,000. Can 

be fixed or variable. No 

maximum set on Export 

Working Capital.

Lender completes 

eligibility 

questionnaire 

and SBA reviews 

eligibility during loan 

processing.

Lender to cover all 

aspects of prudent credit 

analysis with emphasis 

on applicant’s ability 

to repay loan from 

operation. SBA conducts 

analysis of lender’s 

analysis.

Maximum loan 

$5 million. Loans 

up to $150,000 

guaranteed up to 

85 percent; loans 

over $150,000 

guaranteed up 

to 75 percent. 

Business with 

multiple SBA 

loans may get 

some variations. 

Export Working 

Capital and 

International 

Trade Loans have 

90% guaranty.

Certified 

Lender 

Program 

(CLP) 

Processing

Same as Standard 

7(a). Plus, an 

executed CLP 

agreement.

Same as Standard 7(a) 

processing except no 

policy exceptions.

Same as Standard 7(a). Same as Standard 

7(a).

Same as Standard 7(a) 

except SBA reviews 

lender’s analysis work, 

not a re-analysis.

Maximum loan

$5 million. 

Guaranty 

percentage same 

as Standard 7(a).

Preferred 

Lender 

Program 

(PLP) 

Processing

Same as Standard 

7(a). Plus, an 

executed PLP 

agreement.

Same as Standard 

processing except 

restrictions on loans 

involving some types of 

debt refinancing. 

Same as Standard 7(a). Lender completes 

Eligibility Analysis.

Delegated to lender. Maximum loan

$5 million. 

Guaranty 

percentage same 

as Standard 7(a).

SBA Express 

Processing

Same as Standard 

7(a). Plus, an 

executed SBA 

Express agreement.

Basic 7(a) with 

restrictions on 

some types of debt 

refinancing. Plus, lender 

structured term and 

revolving loans.

If $50,000 or less, 

cannot exceed prime 

+ 6.5 percent. If over 

$50,000, cannot exceed 

prime + 4.5 percent. 

Prime may be lender 

prime.

Lender completes 

SBA Form 

1920 “Eligibility 

Information.”

Delegated to lender. Maximum loan 

$350,000. 

Guaranty 

percentage

50 percent.

Export 

Express 

Processing

Same as Standard 

7(a). Plus, an 

executed Export 

Express agreement.

Similar to SBA Express, 

but must meet exportrelated eligibility criteria 

and use of proceeds 

requirement.

If $50,000 or less, 

cannot exceed prime 

+ 6.5 percent. If over 

$50,000, cannot exceed 

prime + 4.5 percent. 

Prime may be lender 

prime.

Lender completes 

SBA Form 

1920 “Eligibility 

Information.”

Delegated to lender. Maximum loan 

$500,000. 

Guaranty 

percentage range 

between 75 and 

90 percent.

Community 

Advantage

Lenders that have an 

executed Community 

Advantage 

agreement.

Basic 7(a) except 

restrictions on some 

types of refinancing.

Prime + 6 percent. Lenders complete 

SBA Form 1920

“Eligibility 

Information.”

Similar to Standard 7(a) 

except credit factors 

to consider are more 

defined.

Maximum loan 

$250,000. 

Guaranty 

percentage same 

as Standard 7(a).

• London InterBank Offered Rate

All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 31

CONTRACTING

The U.S. government is the largest 

single purchaser of goods and services 

in the world, buying everything from 

armored vehicles and cutting-edge 

scientific research, to paper clips and 

super computers. Every year, the 

federal government awards more 

than $500 billion in contracts, and a 

significant share of those contracts are 

made specifically available for award to 

small businesses.

The Small Business Administration 

works with agencies to award at least 

23 percent of all prime government 

contracts to small businesses, including 

specific statutory goals for small 

disadvantaged businesses (SDB) – 5%, 

businesses that are women-owned 

(WOSB) – 5% or service-disabled 

veteran-owned (SDVOSB) – 3%, 

and businesses that are located in 

historically underutilized business zones 

(HUBZone firms) – 3%.

The agency ensures that small 

businesses have access to long-lasting 

development opportunities, which 

means working with small businesses 

to help them to become and remain 

competitive, as well as encouraging 

federal agencies to award more 

contracts to small businesses. The SBA 

performs an advocacy function for small 

businesses through outreach programs, 

matchmaking events, and online 

training opportunities. The agency 

works directly with individual Federal 

buying offices and large business 

government contractors to identify 

contracting opportunities for small 

businesses.

Office of Government Contracting

Marian Taylor

Procurement Center Representative

420 L. St., Ste. 300

Anchorage, AK 99501

907-271-2297

marian.taylor@sba.gov

HOW GOVERNMENT 

CONTRACTING WORKS

Sealed bidding vs. Negotiation

There are two primary competitive 

contracting methods the government 

uses to purchase goods and services, 

sealed bidding and negotiation. The first 

method, sealed bidding, involves the 

issuance of an invitation for bid (IFB) 

by a procuring agency. Under the sealed 

bidding method, a contract is awarded 

to the responsive and responsible bidder 

whose bid, conforms to the requirements 

of a solicitation (IFB) that will be most 

advantageous to the government, 

considering only price and the pricerelated factors included in the IFB. The 

second method, negotiation, involves 

issuing a request for proposal (RFP) 

or request for quotation (RFQ). The 

business with the best proposal in terms 

of technical content, best value, price 

and other factors generally is awarded 

the contract.

Types of Contracts

Fixed-price contracts place the full 

responsibility for the costs and risk of 

loss on the contractor, and generally 

do not permit any adjustment on the 

basis of the contractor’s costs during the 

performance of the contract. It provides 

maximum incentive for the contractor 

to control costs and perform effectively 

and imposes a minimum administrative 

burden upon the contracting parties. 

This type of contract is used in all 

sealed bid and some negotiated 

procurements. 

Cost reimbursement contracts 

provide for the payment of allowable 

costs incurred by the contractor plus 

a reasonable profit, to the extent 

stated in the contract. The contract 

establishes a ceiling price, above which 

a contractor may not exceed without the 

approval of the contracting officer. Cost 

reimbursement contracts are commonly 

used in research and development 

contracts.

Some contracts do not fit neatly into 

these two categories, such as time and 

CONTRACTING

Applying for Government Contracts
32 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

material contracts (prices for hourly 

wages are established but the hours are 

estimated), and although rarely used, 

letter contracts, which authorizes a 

contractor to begin work on an urgent 

requirement before all terms and 

conditions are finalized.

Small Business Set-Asides

A “set-aside” for small businesses 

reserves an acquisition exclusively 

for small business competition. This 

includes requirements competed among 

HUBZone Certified Small Businesses, 

SBA 8(a) Certified small businesses, 

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned 

small businesses, and Economically 

Disadvantaged/Women-Owned small 

businesses in specific industries. 

Generally, set asides are appropriate, 

or in some cases required, if the 

contracting officer has a reasonable 

expectation of receiving two or more 

offers from responsible concerns and 

award can be made at fair market 

prices. Some programs also have 

authority for sole awards (awards 

with competition) depending on the 

circumstances. 

There are two ways in which setasides can be determined. First, if an 

acquisition of goods or services has 

an anticipated dollar value above 

$3,500 (micropurchase threshold), but 

not exceeding $150,000 (simplified 

acquisition threshold (SAT), it is 

automatically reserved for small 

businesses. The acquisition will be 

set aside above the SAT only if the 

contracting officer determines there 

are two or more responsible small 

businesses that are competitive in 

terms of price, quality, and delivery, 

and an award can be made at a fair 

market price. Reasonable expectations 

of small business competition are 

based on market research including an 

evaluation of past acquisition history 

for an item or similar items. As part of 

market research, contracting officers 

may publish Sources Sought notices 

on the Federal Business Opportunities 

(FBO; www.fbo.gov) website seeking 

firms for upcoming opportunities. Be 

sure to respond to these notices so you 

can be solicited for the requirements.

There are several exceptions and 

unique rules for specific kinds of small 

businesses and industries, so you should 

become familiar with the rules, which 

are contained in the Federal Acquisition 

Regulation (FAR). For small business 

set-asides for manufactured items, 

any business proposing to furnish a 

product that it did not manufacture 

must furnish the product of a small 

business manufacturer unless the SBA 

has granted either a waiver or exception 

to this requirement, referred to as the 

Non-manufacturer rule. In industries 

where the SBA finds that there are no 

small business manufacturers, it may 

issue a waiver to the non-manufacturer 

rule. Waivers permit small businesses 

dealers or distributors to provide the 

product of any size concern regardless 

of the place of manufacture (but 

other laws such as the Buy American 

Act or Trade Agreements Act may 

apply). For service and construction 

requirements, the small business must 

perform set percentages of the work 

with its own employees (Limitations 

on Subcontracting), on set-aside 

requirements. 

Sole Source

Although competition is the preferred 

means of contracting, the SBA’s 8(a) 

Business Development Program (FAR 

subpart 19.8), HUBZone (subpart 

19.13), Service Disabled Veteran-Owned 

Business (subpart 19.14) and WomanOwned Small Business Programs 

(subpart 19.15) each have provisions 

allowing for sole-source awards, when 

applicable. A contracting officer must 

give equal consideration to firms in each 

of these Programs when considering an 

award. 

 

Subcontracting

Subcontracting opportunities are a 

great opportunity for small businesses, 

especially for those not ready to bid as 

prime contractors. Experience gained 

from subcontracting with a federal 

prime contractor can better prepare 

businesses to bid for prime contracts.

Current regulations stipulate that 

for contracts offering subcontracting 

opportunities with values over 

$700,000 for goods and services, or $1.5 

million for construction must offer the 

maximum practicable subcontracting 

opportunities to small businesses. 

In addition, potential large business 

prime contractors must submit a 

subcontracting plan with their proposal 

describing how they will successfully 

maximize subcontracting opportunities 

to small businesses.

To find subcontracting opportunities, 

a list of federal prime solicitations is 

listed under the U.S. Small Business 

Administration Subcontracting Network 

(SUBNET) web.sba.gov/subnet/search/

index.cfm and through the General 

Services Administration (GSA) at 

www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101195. 

Research the list of prime contractors 

and determine which are best suited 

to your business. Develop a marketing 

strategy, and then contact the Small 

Business Liaison Officer (SBLO) 

listed for each prime to schedule an 

appointment. The SBA has a cadre of 

Commercial Market Representatives 

(CMRs) who work closely with large 

prime contractors to maximize use of 

small businesses as subcontractors. 

They can also assist small businesses 

with subcontracting matters. To find a 

CMR, go to: https://www.sba.gov/content/

cmr-directory.

SBA CONTRACTING 

PROGRAMS

HUBZONE

The Historically Underutilized 

Business Zones (HUBZone) program 

helps small businesses located in 

distressed urban and rural communities 

gain access to federal set-aside contracts 

and sole source contracts, as well as a 

price evaluation preference in full and 

open contract competitions. Federal 

agencies have a goal of awarding 3 

percent of the total value of all prime 

contract and subcontract awards 

to small businesses that SBA has 

certified as HUBZone. The list of 

HUBZone small business can be located 

at http://dsbs.sba.gov/dsbs/search/

dsp_searchhubzone.cfm. To qualify for 

the program, a business (except those 

that are tribally-owned) must meet the 

following criteria: 

• Small Business by SBA size 

standards 

• Owned and controlled at least 

51 percent by U.S. citizens, or 

a Community Development 

Corporation (CDC), an agricultural 

cooperative, or an Indian tribe 

• Principal office must be located 

within a “Historically Underutilized 

Business Zone,” which includes 

lands considered “Indian Country” 

and military facilities closed by the 

Base Realignment and Closure Act 

• At least 35 percent of its employees 

must reside in a HUBZone.

 Note: Different rules apply for 

Tribal Governments, Alaska Native 

Corporations, Community Development 

Corporations and small agricultural 

cooperatives. These are delineated 

in Title 13 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations, Part 126.

 Existing businesses that choose to 

move to qualified areas are eligible to 

apply for certification provided they 

meet all the eligibility requirements. To 

fulfill the requirement that 35 percent 

of a HUBZone firm’s employees reside 

in a HUBZone, employees must live in a 

primary residence at a place for at least 

180 days, or as a currently registered 

voter, and with intent to live there 

indefinitely.

CONTRACTING
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 33

CONTRACTING

The SBA is responsible for:

• Determining whether or not 

applicants are qualified HUBZone 

small business concerns;

• Maintaining a list of qualified 

HUBZone small business concerns 

for use by acquisition agencies 

in awarding contracts under the 

program;

• Adjudicating protests and appeals 

of eligibility to receive HUBZone 

contracts.

For additional information, visit 

www.sba.gov/hubzone.

8(a) BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 

PROGRAM

The 8(a) program is an essential 

instrument for helping socially 

and economically disadvantaged 

entrepreneurs gain access to the 

economic mainstream of American 

society. The 9-year program helps 

thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs 

gain a foothold in government 

contracting. The program offers 

business development assistance that 

includes one-on-one training and 

counseling, training workshops, matchmaking opportunities with federal 

buyers and other management and 

technical guidance. 8(a) participants 

can receive sole-source contracts, up 

to a ceiling of $4 million for goods 

and services and $6.5 million for 

manufacturing. While we help 8(a) 

participants build their competitive 

and institutional know-how, we also 

encourage them to participate in 

competitive acquisitions to become 

viable firms that continue to grow after 

graduating from the program. There 

is a statutory requirement that small 

disadvantaged business concerns be 

awarded not less than 5 percent of the 

total value of all prime contract awards. 

All 8(a) firms are considered small 

disadvantaged business concerns for the 

purpose of federal contracting. 

To be eligible for the 8(a) Business 

Development program, a business must 

meet the following criteria:

• Small Business in the Primary 

NAICS;

• Owned (at least 51 percent) by one 

or more individuals who qualify 

as socially and economically 

disadvantaged, and who are U.S. 

citizens of good character;

• Controlled, managed, and operated 

full-time by one or more individuals 

who qualify as disadvantaged, and;

• Must demonstrate potential for 

success (generally by being in 

business for at least two full years) 

and have the capacity to perform on 

government and non-government 

contracts before applying.

Socially disadvantaged individuals 

are those who have been subjected to 

racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural 

bias because of their identity as a 

member of a group without regard 

to their individual capabilities. The 

following individuals are automatically 

presumed to be socially disadvantaged: 

Black Americans, Native Americans, 

Alaska Natives or Native Hawaiians, 

Hispanic Americans, Asian Pacific 

Americans, and Subcontinent Asian 

Americans. An individual who is not 

a member of one of these groups must 

establish individual social disadvantage 

by a preponderance of evidence. 

Economically disadvantaged 

individuals are socially disadvantaged 

individuals whose ability to compete 

in the free-enterprise system has been 

impaired due to diminished capital 

and credit opportunities as compared 

to others in the same or similar 

line of business who are not socially 

disadvantaged. Such individuals have 

a net worth of less than $250,000 

To be eligible to bid on a federal 

contract, you must know your 

business. Answer the following three 

questions:

1. Are you a small business?

Is your small business:

• Organized for profit?

• Located in the U.S.?

• Operated primarily within the 

U.S. or making a significant 

contribution to the U.S. economy 

through payment of taxes or use of 

American products, materials, or 

labor?

• Independently owned and 

operated? 

• Not dominant in the field of 

operation in which it is bidding for 

government contracts?

• A sole proprietorship, partnership, 

corporation, or any other legal 

form?

If the first six criteria apply to your 

business, ask yourself the second 

important question to find out if 

your business meets size standard 

requirements. 

2. What is the size standard for your 

business?

Size standards are used to 

determine whether a business is small 

or “other than small.” Size standards 

vary depending upon the industry. 

To determine the size standard for 

your business, you will need a North 

American Industry Classification code 

(NAICS). Every federal agency uses 

these codes when considering your 

business. To determine your NAICS 

code, go to www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/. 

Some SBA programs require their 

own unique size standards. To find out 

more about these requirements and 

other size standard information, go to 

www.sba.gov/size.

3. Do you fall under a specific 

certification?

Under the umbrella of “small 

business,” SBA has outlined several 

specific certifications that businesses 

may fall under. These certifications 

are divided into two categories: 

SBA-Certified and Self-Certified.

The SBA-Certified Programs were 

created to assist specific businesses 

in securing federal contracts and 

therefore can only be issued by SBA 

administrators. For the Self-Certified 

Programs, you can determine for 

yourself if your business meets the 

requirements by referring to the 

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

Just as Congress has given federal 

agencies a goal of procuring 23 

percent of federal contracts from 

small businesses, so too must federal 

agencies meet specific contracting 

goals for other categories of small 

firms. These goals are:

• 23 percent of contracts for Small 

Businesses

• 5 percent of contracts to Small 

Disadvantaged Businesses

• 5 percent to Women-Owned Small 

Businesses

• 3 percent to Service-Disabled 

Veteran-Owned Small Businesses

• 3 percent to HUBZone Small 

Businesses 

Federal agencies have a strong 

incentive to fulfill these contracting 

goals. You should apply for those 

SBA-Certified and determine which 

Self-Certification programs for which 

you qualify to take advantage of 

contracting opportunities.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW 

ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS
34 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

CONTRACTING

(excluding primary residence and other 

exclusions).

Firms owned by Alaska Native 

Corporations, Indian tribes, Native 

Hawaiian organizations, and 

Community Development Corporations 

can also apply to the SBA for 8(a) 

business development assistance. 

Entity owned firms may receive 

sole source contracts without dollar 

limitation.

Each 8(a) firm is assigned a Business 

Opportunity Specialist at the nearest 

SBA District Office geographically near 

the business to coordinate the firm’s 

business development assistance.

In addition, 8(a) participants may 

take advantage of specialized business 

training, counseling, marketing 

assistance, and high-level executive 

development provided by the SBA and 

our resource partners. 8(a) participants 

can also be eligible for assistance in 

obtaining access to surplus government 

property and supplies, SBA-guaranteed 

loans, and bonding assistance. 

For additional information about 

applying for the SBA’s 8(a) Program, 

visit www.sba.gov/8a.

SMALL DISADVANTAGED 

BUSINESS 

A Small Disadvantaged Business 

(SDB) is defined as a small business 

that is at least 51 percent owned and 

controlled by one or more individuals 

who are socially and economically 

disadvantaged.

There is a federal government-wide 

goal of awarding at least 5 percent of 

prime contracting dollars to SDBs each 

year. Large prime contractors must also 

establish a 5 percent subcontracting 

goal for SDBs in their subcontracting 

plans which includes SBA 8(a) certified 

small businesses.

Firms self-certify as SDB in the 

federal data base called the System for 

Award Management (SAM) without 

submitting any application to the SBA; 

however, firms approved by the SBA 

into the 8(a) Business Development 

Program are automatically certified as 

an SDB. To self-certify, firms should 

access the website: www.sba.gov/sdb. 

By reading the information contained 

therein you will be given guidance as to 

what steps are required.

SERVICE-DISABLED VETERANOWNED SMALL BUSINESS 

The Service-Disabled VeteranOwned Small Business (SDVOSB) 

program has a federal government-wide 

goal of awarding at least 3 percent 

of prime and subcontracting dollars 

to Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned 

Small Businesses each year. Large 

prime contractors must also establish 

a subcontracting goal for SDVOSBs 

in their subcontracting plans. These 

subcontracting goals are reviewed at 

time of proposal by both the contracting 

officer and the SBA prior to the award 

of a contract.

While the SBA does not certify 

companies as SDVOSBs, SDVOSB 

protest process is administered by 

SBA to ensure that only businesses 

owned by service-disabled veterans 

receive contracts reserved exclusively 

for them. When a business’s SDVOSB 

self-certification is challenged, the 

SBA determines if the business meets 

the status, ownership and control 

requirements.

An SDVOSB must be owned and 

controlled by one or more individuals 

with a service connected disability. To 

determine your eligibility, contact your 

local veterans’ business development 

officer, visit the various program 

websites, or contact SBA’s Office of 

Veterans Business Development at 

www.sba.gov/ovbd.

WOMEN-OWNED 

SMALL BUSINESS 

FEDERAL CONTRACT PROGRAM

On October 7, 2010, the SBA 

published a final rule effective 

February 4, 2011, aimed at expanding 

federal contracting opportunities 

for women-owned small businesses. 

The Women-Owned Small Business 

(WOSB) Federal Contract Program 

authorizes contracting officers to set 

aside certain federal contracts for 

eligible women-owned businesses and 

economically disadvantaged womenowned small businesses (EDWOSB) 

in specified industries where it has be 

determined WOSBs and EDWOSBs are 

underrepresented. Commencing October 

14, 2015, certain contract requirements 

can be awarded on a sole-source basis to 

WOSB and EDWOSB concerns in those 

specified industry categories. 

To be eligible, a firm must be at least 

51 percent owned or controlled by one or 

more women. The women must be U.S. 

citizens and the WOSB or EDWOSB 

must be “small” under its primary 

industry in accordance with SBA’s size 

standards established for under the 

North American Industry Classification 

code assigned to that industry. To be 

deemed “economically disadvantaged” 

its owners must demonstrate economic 

disadvantage in accordance with the 

requirements set forth in the final 

rule. For additional information, visit 

www.sba.gov/wosb.

Protests under the WOSB Federal 

Contract Program are also adjudicated 

by the SBA. When a company’s WOSB 

or economically disadvantaged WOSB 

self-certification is challenged, the 

SBA determines if the business meets 

ownership and control requirements.

Large prime contractors must also 

establish a subcontracting goal for 

Woman-Owned Small Businesses in 

their Subcontracting Plans. These 

subcontracting goals are reviewed at 

time of proposal by both the contracting 

officer and the SBA prior to the award 

of a contract.
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 35

CONTRACTING

 Once you have identified the important 

information regarding your business, it is 

time to start the process of procuring a 

government contract.

1. Identify your DUNS (Data Universal 

Numbering System) Number

To register your business, obtain a 

DUNS number used to identify and 

track millions of businesses. You can 

obtain your free DUNS number when 

registering with the System for Award 

Management. Log on to www.sam.com for 

more information or by contacting

Dun & Bradstreet at http://fedgov.dnb.com/

webform .

2. Identify your EIN 

(Employer Identification Number) 

An EIN, otherwise known as a federal 

tax identification number, is generally 

required of all businesses. For more 

information, go to www.irs.gov.

3. Identify your NAICS (North American

Industry Classification) codes

The NAICS codes are used to classify the 

industry a particular business occupies. 

You will need at least one NAICS code 

to complete your registration, but be sure 

to list as many as apply. You may also add 

or change NAICS codes at any time. Visit 

www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/ to find 

NAICS codes.

4. Register with the System for Award 

Management (SAM), formerly the Central 

Contractor Registration (CCR) - 

www.sam.gov 

The SAM is an online federal government 

maintained database of companies 

wanting to do business with the federal 

government. Agencies search the database 

for prospective vendors. You must be 

registered in SAM in order to do business 

as a Federal contractor. 

Register at www.SAM.com. After 

completing registration, you will be 

asked to enter your small business 

profile information through the SBA 

Supplemental Page. The information will 

be displayed in the Dynamic Small 

Business Search. Creating a profile in 

SAM and keeping it current ensures your 

firm has access to federal contracting 

opportunities. 

Entering your small business profile, 

including your business information and 

key word description, allows contracting 

officers, prime contractors, and buyers 

from state and local governments to learn 

about your company.

5. Submit an offer for a GSA Schedule 

Contract 

The GSA (General Services Administration) 

Multiple Award Schedule (aka Federal 

Supply Schedule) is used by GSA to 

establish long-term, government-wide 

contracts with commercial firms. Although 

their use is not generally mandatory, 

many Agencies and buying offices use GSA 

schedules for their contracting needs. 

Once these contracts are established, 

government agencies can order the 

supplies and services they need directly 

from the firms through the use of an 

online shopping tool. Becoming a GSA 

schedule contractor increases your 

opportunity for contracts across all levels 

of government. Businesses interested in 

becoming GSA schedule contractors 

should review the information available at 

www.gsa.gov/schedules.

6. Make Sure Your Business is Financially 

Sound

This critical step is absolutely necessary 

to make sure that your business is 

financially prepared for the journey 

ahead. Even if you are able to obtain a 

government contract, you will not be 

receiving all of the money at once. It 

helps to have a clear plan of how your 

business will stage the benefits of the 

contract.

7. Search Federal Business Opportunities 

(FedBizOpps) for Contracting 

Opportunities

FedBizOpps, is an online service 

operated by the federal government 

that announces available business 

opportunities. FedBizOpps helps identify 

the needs of federal agencies and available 

contracting opportunities. To begin 

searching for contracting opportunities, go 

to www.fbo.com. 

8. Marketing Your Business

Registering your business is not enough 

to obtain a federal contract; you will need 

to market your business to attract federal 

agencies. Tips for good marketing are: 

• Determine which federal agencies 

buy your product or service, and 

 get to know them;

• Identify the contracting 

 procedures of those agencies;

• Focus on opportunities in your 

 niche and prioritize them.

• You should identify the PSC (Product 

Services Code) and/or a FSC (Federal 

Supply Classification), which describes 

your business. These codes provide 

additional information about the 

services and products your business 

offers.

9. Procurement Technical Assistance 

Centers (PTACs)

Doing business with the government is a 

big step to growing your business.

Procurement Technical Assistance Centers 

(PTACs) provide local, in-person 

counseling and training services for you, 

the small business owner. They are 

designed to provide technical assistance 

to businesses that want to sell products 

and services to federal, state, and/or 

local governments. PTAC services are 

available either free of charge, or at a 

nominal cost. PTACs are part of the 

Procurement Technical Assistance 

Program, which is administered by the 

Defense Logistics Agency.

What can a PTAC do for you?

 • Determine if your business is ready for 

government contracting.

• Pursuing government contracts is 

a challenge, and can be burden for 

your company if you do not have the 

resources or maturity to handle a 

contract. A PTAC representative can 

sit with you one-on-one and determine 

if your company is ready, and how to 

position yourself for success.

• Help you register in the proper places. 

There are numerous databases to 

register with to get involved with the 

government marketplace, including 

the Department of Defense’s System 

for Award Management (SAM), GSA 

Schedules, and other government 

vendor sites.

• See if you are eligible in any small 

business certifications. Some 

government contracts are set aside for 

certain businesses that have special 

certifications, such as woman-owned, 

minority-owned, and HUBZone. A 

PTAC representative can help you 

obtain these certifications, if you are 

eligible, allowing for more government 

contract opportunities.

• Research past contract opportunities. 

A PTAC representative can look into 

past contracts, to see what types 

of contracts have been awarded to 

businesses like yours.

In addition, a PTAC can help you identify 

and bid on a contract, and if you are 

awarded the contract, continue to provide 

you support through measuring your 

performance and helping with your 

contract audits. Don’t hesitate to find the 

PTAC near you today to get started in 

government contracting or to improve 

your success.

GETTING STARTED IN CONTRACTING
36 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

CONTRACTING

The following federal procurement resources 

may also be of assistance:

• The Certificates of Competency (CoC) 

program allows SBA to review a contracting 

officer’s non-responsibility determination 

that it is unable to fulfill the requirements 

of a specific government contract. The SBA 

will conduct a detailed review of the firm’s 

technical and financial capabilities to perform 

on the contract. If the business demonstrates 

the capability to perform, the SBA issues a 

Certificate of Competency to the contracting 

officer, requiring award of that contract to the 

small business.

• Procurement Center Representatives (PCR) 

and Commercial Marketing Representatives 

(CMR): PCRs work to increase the small 

business share of federal procurement awards. 

CMRs offer many services to small businesses, 

including counseling on how to obtain 

subcontracts. To find a PCR or CMR near you, 

go to

 www.sba.gov/content/procurement-centerrepresentatives.

• SBDCs (Small Business Development Centers:

Like PTACs, SBDCs are important SBA 

Resource Partners which provide “handson” assistance to small businesses. To find 

an SBDC servicing your area, go to: http://

americassbdc.org/home/find-your-sbdc/.

• Department of Defense (The DoD is the 

largest purchaser of goods from small 

businesses): 

 www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/

• Office of Federal Procurement Policy: www.

whitehouse.gov/omb/procurement_default

• Acquisition Forecast:

 www.acquisition.gov/comp/procurement

_forecasts/index.html

• Federal Supply Schedule (FSS): 

 www.gsa.gov

• Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS): 

https://www.fpds.gov/fpdsng_cms/index.php/en/

• GSA Center for Acquisition Excellence: www.gsa.

gov/portal/content/103487

• Natural Resources Sales Assistance The U. 

S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 

administers a Property Sales Assistance 

Program through its Office of Government 

Contracting. The Program includes; Royalty 

Oil, Strategic Materials from the National 

Stockpile, Leases involving rights to minerals; 

coal, oil and gas, Surplus Real & Personal 

Property Sales, and the U.S. Small Business 

Administration’s Timber Sale Program. 

 The SBA oversees timber sales by working 

in conjunction with the following agencies 

via Memorandums of Understanding (MOU): 

Department of Agriculture, Department of

 the Interior, Bureau of Land Management 

and Fish & Wildlife Service, Department 

for Defense, Department of Energy, and the 

Tennessee Valley Authority. There are also 

directives governing the program in the Forest 

Service Handbook 2409.18, and 13 CFR (Code 

of Federal Regulations) section 121.501-512. 

Timber sales are not governed by the Federal 

Acquisition Regulation.

 SBA’s Timber Program is administered via 

a Senior Representative located in SBA 

Headquarters, and 3 Industrial Specialists 

 - Forestry (ISF) located in Atlanta, GA; 

Denver, CO; and Portland, OR. The ISF’s 

monitor the 148 market areas that make-up 

the national parks, forests, and Federallyowned lands. Timber is regularly sold from 

Federal forests and other federally managed 

lands. SBA works with the Forest Service and 

other agencies to ensure opportunities exist 

for small businesses to bid on these Federal 

timber sales.

U.S. EXPORT RESOURCES

AVAILABLE FOR BUSINESSES

MARKET RESEARCH

Trade Statistics

o Trade Stats Express | tse.export.gov

o State and Metro Export Reports 

 www.trade.gov/mas/ian/statereports

Market Research Library/Country 

Commercial Guides

o Get free access to reports on countries, 

industries, and commercial developments 

written by our Commercial Service officers in 

country 

 www.export.gov/mrktresearch

FTA Tariff Tool

o Find out the tariffs with our trading partners 

on specific products and create reports and 

charts of trends under different agreements 

 www.export.gov/ftatarrifftool

A Basic Guide to Exporting

o The nuts-and-bolts information a company 

needs to meet the challenges of the global 

economy. Includes real-life principles of 

exporting 

 www.export.gov/basicguide

OPPORTUNITIES: FINDING BUYERS

AND MAKING CONTACTS

U.S. Export Assistance Centers

o Located in over 100 cities , specializing the 

below services to help small businesses export 

 www.export.gov/eac/index.asp

Trade Counseling

o Develop a market entry strategy, find the 

best export finance options, navigate export 

controls and complete the required trade 

documentation

Business Matchmaking

o Get connected with pre-screened foreign 

buyers, participate in trade events, and set 

up meetings with government officials in your 

target markets

Market Intelligence

o Conduct analysis of market potential and 

foreign competition, complete background 

checks on companies, and get help from 

USEAC staff on navigating any cultural 

differences

“Gold Key” Services

o The Department’s “Gold Key” suite of service 

includes: customized matchmaking meetings 

scheduled overseas to find business partners 

and customers, pre-screened appointments 

arranged before travelling, market and 

industry briefings with trade specialists, 

post-meeting debriefings and assistance in 

developing appropriate follow-up strategies, 

and help with travel, accommodations, 

interpreter service, and clerical support

Trade Missions

o Participate in overseas trips with U.S. 

government personnel to meet with potential 

business partners and explore potential 

market opportunities

Foreign Buyer Delegations

o Exhibit your products to vetted potential 

foreign buyers at trade shows in the United 

States

Major Foreign Trade Shows

o Showcase your products and services in U.S. 

pavilions at overseas trade shows

Reverse Trade Missions

o Meet foreign delegates coming to see U.S. 

products and technologies. 

o The U.S. Trade and Development Agency 

connects international buyers with U.S. 

manufacturers and service providers in order 

to open new export markets and commercial 

opportunities world-wide 

 www.ustda.gov

Advocacy

o The Advocacy Center coordinates U.S. 

government efforts to advocate on behalf 

of U.S. exporters bidding on public-sector 

contracts with foreign governments and 

government agencies 

 www.export.gov/advocacy

Agricultural products

o The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides 

several of the aforementioned services through 

the Foreign Agricultural Service and partner 

State-Regional Trade Groups | 

 www.fas.usda.gov/getting-started and 

 www.fas.usda.gov/programs/market-accessprogram-map/state-regional-trade-groups

FEDERAL EXPORT FINANCING AND

INSURANCE OPTIONS

Export Financing and Insurance

o Federal export financing options can make 

your company more competitive by helping 

you offer a potential buyer more attractive 

payment terms

The Small Business Administration (SBA)

o Take advantage of a wide range of financing 

options for small businesses, including the 

Export Express Program, Export Working 

Capital Program, and International Trade 

Loan | www.sba.gov

COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL LAWS

AND REGULATIONS

Export Licenses (BIS)

o Obtain information on exports requiring a 

license before shipping 

 www.bis.doc.gov

Economic and Trade Sanctions (Treasury)

o Find out the countries, entities, and 

individuals with whom U.S. firms cannot do 

business | treas.gov/ofac

Electronic Export Information (Census)

o Upon exporting any good value at over 

$2500, information must be submitted to the 

Automated Export System. Get help on filing 

AES, classifying merchandise, regulations and 

trade data

 1-800-549-0595

ADDITIONAL PROCUREMENT AND FEDERAL RESOURCES
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 37

DISASTER ASSISTANCE

The disaster program is 

SBA’s largest direct loan 

program, and the only SBA 

program for entities other 

than small businesses. SBA 

is responsible for providing affordable, 

timely and accessible financial 

assistance to non-farm businesses of all 

sizes, private, nonprofit organizations, 

homeowners and renters following 

declared disasters. 

The SBA is authorized by the Small 

Business Act to make two types of 

disaster loans:

Physical Disaster Loans 

Physical Disaster Loans are 

the primary source of funding for 

permanent rebuilding and replacement 

of uninsured or underinsured disastercaused damages to privately-owned 

real and/or personal property. SBA’s 

physical disaster loans are available to 

businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit 

organizations of all sizes, homeowners 

and renters. Businesses and private, 

nonprofit organizations of any size may 

apply for a loan up to $2 million (actual 

loan amounts are based on the amount 

of uncompensated damage) to repair 

or replace real property, machinery, 

equipment, fixtures, inventory and 

leasehold improvements. A homeowner 

may apply for a loan of up to $200,000 

to repair or replace the primary 

residence to its pre-disaster condition. 

Homeowners or renters may apply 

for a loan up to $40,000 to help repair 

or replace personal property, such as 

clothing, furniture or automobiles, lost 

in the disaster.

The SBA may increase a loan up to 20 

percent of the total amount of physical 

damages as verified by SBA to make 

improvements that protect the property 

from similar future disasters.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans

Economic Injury Disaster Loans 

provide the necessary working capital 

after a declared disaster until normal 

operations resume. Small businesses, 

small agricultural cooperatives, small 

businesses engaged in aquaculture 

(fisheries, for example) and most private 

nonprofit organizations of all sizes are 

eligible for EIDL assistance, regardless 

of whether there was any physical 

damage. The loan limit is $2 million. 

The EIDL helps small businesses meet 

ordinary and necessary operating 

expenses as they recover from a disaster. 

The limit for physical and EIDL loans 

combined is $2 million. 

The Military Reservists Economic 

Injury Disaster Loan is a working 

capital loan for small businesses facing 

financial loss when the owner or an 

essential employee is called up to active 

duty in their role as a military reservist. 

The loan limit is $2 million and the 

business can use the funds to cover 

operating expenses until the essential 

employee or business owner is released 

from active duty. 

 The SBA can only approve disaster 

loans to applicants having an acceptable 

credit history and repayment ability. 

The terms of each loan are established 

in accordance with each borrower’s 

ability to repay. The law gives SBA 

several powerful tools to make disaster 

loans affordable: low-interest rates 

(around 4 percent), long-terms (up to 

30 years), and refinancing of prior liens 

(in some cases). As required by law, the 

interest rate for each loan is based on 

SBA’s determination of whether the 

applicant has credit available elsewhere 

— the ability to borrow or use their own 

SBA DISASTER ASSISTANCE

Knowing the Types of Assistance Available for Recovery
38 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

DISASTER ASSISTANCE

resources to recover from the disaster 

without causing undue hardship. 

More information on all of SBA’s 

disaster assistance programs, including 

information for military reservists, 

is available at www.sba.gov/disaster. 

Apply online using the Electronic Loan 

Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure 

Website at: https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Disaster Preparedness

Recovering from a disaster doesn’t 

begin with clearing the debris and 

returning to work. Imagine stepping into 

your store, or restaurant, or the office 

where you run your business, a day or 

two after the fire has been contained, 

the tornado has passed, or floodwaters 

have receded. First come the questions: 

“How much will it cost to rebuild? Will 

my insurance cover all this? How will 

I pay my employees and vendors and 

cover the bills during the recovery 

phase?” Before a disaster strikes is a 

good time to start, or update and test 

your business continuity plan.

And while SBA disaster loans 

go a long way toward revitalizing 

communities devastated by the economic 

fallout that follows disasters, with a 

solid preparedness plan in place, your 

business will be able to recover sooner, 

possibly without taking on new debt. 

Assessing your risks and needs are 

an important first step in developing 

your business continuity strategy. The 

American Red Cross’ Ready RatingTM 

program (www.readyrating.org) is a 

free online tool that helps businesses 

get prepared for disaster and other 

emergencies. With Ready Rating you 

can evaluate your level of disaster 

readiness, and you’ll get customized 

feedback on how to establish or expand 

your disaster plan. 

Another useful site provided by FEMA 

— Ready.gov (www.ready.gov) — provides 

practical disaster preparedness tips and 

checklists for businesses, homeowners 

and renters. SBA has teamed up with 

Agility Recovery Solutions to offer 

business continuity strategies through 

the “PrepareMyBusiness” website 

(www.preparemybusiness.org) and 

monthly disaster planning webinars. 

Previous topics — presented by 

experts in their fields — have included 

crisis communications, testing the 

preparedness plan, and using social 

media to enhance small business 

recovery. At the website you can 

sign up for future webinars, view 

previous webinars, and download 

checklists that give you tips on risk 

assessment, evacuation plans and flood 

preparedness, that will help you develop 

a solid business continuity plan. 

Meanwhile, here are a few 

preparedness tips to consider:

• Review Your Insurance Coverage. 

Contact your insurance agent to 

find out if your coverage is right for 

your business and make sure you 

understand the policy limits.

 Ask about Business Interruption 

Insurance, which compensates you 

for lost income and covers operating 

expenses if your company has to 

temporarily shut down after a 

disaster.

 • Establish a solid supply chain. 

If all your vital external vendors 

and suppliers are local and if the 

disaster is significantly widespread, 

you’ll all be in the same boat, 

struggling to recover. It’s a good 

idea to diversify your list of vendors 

for key supplies to companies 

outside your area or internationally, 

if possible. Create a contact list for 

important contractors and vendors 

you plan to use in an emergency 

and find out if those suppliers have 

a recovery plan in place. Keep this 

list with other documents filed in a 

place that’s accessible, and also at a 

protected off-site location.

• Plan for an alternate location. Do 

some research well in advance of 

the disaster for several alternative 

places to relocate your company 

in the event a disaster forces you 

to shut down indefinitely. Some 

options include contacting a local 

real estate agent to get a list of 

available vacant office space. Make 

an agreement with a neighboring 

business to share office space if 

disaster strikes. If possible, make 

plans for employees to telecommute 

until the office has been rebuilt. 

The financial and emotional cost of 

rebuilding a business after a disaster 

can be overwhelming. However, with a 

business continuity plan in place, you’ll 

be able to rebound and reopen quickly, 

and in a better position to contribute 

to the economic recovery of your 

community. 

 As small businesses are leading 

America’s economic recovery, many of 

them are investing time and money 

into their plans to grow and create 

jobs. Developing a strong disaster 

preparedness plan should be a critical 

and integral piece of those efforts. 

Planning for a disaster is the best way of 

limiting its effects. 
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 39

OFFICE OF ADVOCACY

The Office of Advocacy is an 

independent office within the U.S. Small 

Business Administration. Advocacy’s 

mission is to be the “small business 

watchdog” in the federal government. 

The office is headed by the chief counsel 

for advocacy, who is appointed by the 

President and confirmed by the Senate. 

The office examines the role and 

status of small business in the economy 

and independently represents the 

views of small business to federal 

agencies, Congress, the president and 

federal courts. The Office of Advocacy 

compiles and interprets statistics on 

small business and is the primary 

entity within the federal government 

to disseminate small business data. 

The office also funds outside research 

on small business issues and produces 

numerous publications to inform policy 

makers about the important role of 

small businesses in the economy and 

the impact of government policies on 

small businesses. In addition, the office 

monitors federal agency compliance 

with the Regulatory Flexibility Act 

– the law that requires agencies to 

analyze the impact of their proposed 

regulations on small entities (including 

small businesses, small governmental 

jurisdictions and small nonprofit 

organizations), and consider regulatory 

alternatives that minimize the economic 

burden on small entities.

 Advocacy’s mission is enhanced by 

a team of regional advocates, located 

in the SBA’s 10 regions. They are 

Advocacy’s direct link to small business 

owners, state and local government 

entities, and organizations that 

support the interests of small entities. 

The regional advocates help identify 

regulatory concerns of small business 

by monitoring the impact of federal and 

state policies at the grassroots level. 

Learn more about the Office of 

Advocacy at www.sba.gov/advocacy.

OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL 

OMBUDSMAN:

Bringing Fair Regulatory Enforcement 

to America’s Small Businesses 

The National Ombudsman has helped 

thousands of small businesses save 

time and money by resolving difficult 

regulatory compliance and enforcement 

issues. As part of President Obama’s 

mandate to promote a level playing field 

for small business, we work directly 

with federal regulators to facilitate 

practical and timely resolutions of 

Regulatory Enforcement Fairness (REF) 

matters impacting small businesses.

The National Ombudsman oversees 

fair enforcement of small business 

regulation by:

• Providing small business owners 

a confidential way to report and 

resolve federal REF problems, like 

excessive enforcement action or 

disproportionate fines 

• Escalating small business concerns 

to federal agencies for fairness 

review & resolution

• Grading federal agencies on their 

small business policies and practices 

Small businesses can connect with the 

National Ombudsman online at 

sba.gov/ombudsman, in-person, 

or through a national network of 

Regulatory Fairness Board Members. 

The National Ombudsman meets 

with small business owners around 

the country at listening sessions and 

regulatory fairness dialogues in all ten 

SBA Regions. These outreach events 

provide critical, real-time input from 

the small business community on REF 

issues impacting small business growth 

and help federal regulators better 

understand how government can best 

support small business success. 

Regional Regulatory Fairness Boards 

in each of SBA’s 10 regions promote 

regulatory fairness by alerting federal 

regulators to important REF issues such 

as unintended consequences of a new 

rule or regulation. These Boards, each 

made up of five small business owners, 

also help raise awareness in their 

communities about resources available 

to small businesses through the SBA 

and the National Ombudsman. 

Every year, the National Ombudsman 

reports to Congress its findings on the 

impact of the policies and practices of 

every federal agency that touches small 

business. 

To learn more about how the National 

Ombudsman can help your small 

business, or to confidentially report 

a REF issue, call 888-REG-FAIR 

(888-734-3247) or complete the simple 

one-page form at sba.gov/ombudsman/

comment.

ADVOCACY AND OMBUDSMAN

ADVOCACY AND OMBUDSMAN

Watching Out for the Interests of Small Businesses
40 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Even if you are running a 

small home-based business, 

you will have to comply 

with many local, state and 

federal regulations. Avoid 

the temptation to ignore regulatory 

details. Doing so may avert some red 

tape in the short term, but could be 

an obstacle as your business grows. 

Taking the time to research the 

applicable regulations is as important 

as knowing your market. Bear in mind 

that regulations vary by industry. If 

you’re in the food-service business, 

for example, you will have to deal 

with the health department. If you 

use chemical solvents, you will have 

environmental compliances to meet. 

Carefully investigate the regulations 

that affect your industry. Being 

out of compliance could leave you 

unprotected legally, lead to expensive 

penalties and jeopardize your 

business.

State of Alaska 

Department of Commerce, Community &

Economic Development

Division of Economic Development 

550 W. 7th Ave., Ste. 1770 

Anchorage, AK 99501 

907-269-8100 • 907-269-8125 Fax

Juneau Alaska: 907-465-2510

Fairbanks: 907-451-2748

BUSINESS LICENSES

There are many types of licenses, 

both state and local as well as 

professional. Depending on what you 

do and where you plan to operate, 

your business may be required to 

have various state and/or municipal 

licenses, certificates or permits. 

Licenses are typically administered 

by a variety of state and local 

departments. Consult your state or 

local government for assistance. 

Business Licensing

550 W. 7th Ave., Ste, 1500

Anchorage, AK 99501

907-269-8160

P.O. Box 110806

Juneau, AK 99811-0806

907-465-2550 • 907-465-2974 Fax

businesslicense@alaska.gov

Professional Licensing

Nursing 907-269-8161

Public Accountancy 907-269-4712 

Real Estate 907-269-8162

Medical 907-269-8098

P.O. Box 110806

Juneau, AK 99811-0806

907-465-2550 • 907-465-2974 Fax

license@alaska.gov

 The municipality where you plan 

to do business may have additional 

licensing requirements. Contact the 

business license office in the city or 

town in which the business is located for 

additional information. 

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

Search to determine if the name 

of your proposed business is already 

in use. If it is not used, register the 

name to protect your business. For 

more information, contact the county 

clerk’s office in the county where 

your business is based. If you are a 

corporation, you’ll need to check with 

the state..

For additional information, contact:

Corporations Section

P.O. Box 110806

Juneau, AK 99811-0806 

Physical Address:

333 W. Willoughby Ave., 9th Fl.

Juneau, AK 99811

907-465-2550 • 907-465-2974 Fax

corporations@alaska.gov

BUSINESS INSURANCE

Like home insurance, business 

insurance protects your business 

against fire, theft and other losses. 

Contact your insurance agent or 

broker. It is prudent for any business 

to purchase a number of basic types 

of insurance. Some types of coverage 

are required by law, others simply 

make good business sense. The types of 

insurance listed below are among the 

most commonly used and are merely a 

starting point for evaluating the needs 

of your business.

Liability Insurance – Businesses 

may incur various forms of liability 

in conducting their normal activities. 

One of the most common types is 

product liability, which may be 

incurred when a customer suffers 

harm from using the product. There 

are many other types of liability, 

which are frequently related to specific 

industries. Liability law is constantly 

changing. An analysis of your liability 

insurance needs by a competent 

professional is vital in determining 

an adequate and appropriate level of 

protection for your business.

Property – There are many different 

types of property insurance and levels 

of coverage available. It is important 

to determine the property insurance 

you need to ensure the continuation 

of your business and the level of 

insurance you need to replace or 

rebuild. You should also understand 

the terms of the insurance, including 

any limitations or waivers of coverage.

Business Interruption – While 

property insurance may pay enough 

to replace damaged or destroyed 

equipment or buildings, how will you 

pay costs such as taxes, utilities and 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Taking Care of Startup Logistics
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 41

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

other continuing expenses during the 

period between when the damage 

occurs and when the property is 

replaced? Business Interruption (or 

“business income”) insurance can 

provide sufficient funds to pay your 

fixed expenses during a period of time 

when your business is not operational.

“Key Man” – If you (and/or any 

other individual) are so critical to 

the operation of your business that it 

cannot continue in the event of your 

illness or death, you should consider 

“key man” insurance. This type of 

policy is frequently required by banks 

or government loan programs. It also 

can be used to provide continuity 

of operations during a period of 

ownership transition caused by the 

death, incapacitation or absence due 

to a Title 10 military activation of an 

owner or other “key” employee.

Automobile – It is obvious that 

a vehicle owned by your business 

should be insured for both liability 

and replacement purposes. What is 

less obvious is that you may need 

special insurance (called “non-owned 

automobile coverage”) if you use your 

personal vehicle on company business. 

This policy covers the business’ 

liability for any damage which may 

result from such usage.

Officer and Director – Under most 

state laws, officers and directors of a 

corporation may become personally 

liable for their actions on behalf of the 

company. This type of policy covers 

this liability.

Home Office – If you are 

establishing an office in your home, 

it is a good idea to contact your 

homeowners’ insurance company to 

update your policy to include coverage 

for office equipment. This coverage 

is not automatically included in a 

standard homeowner’s policy.

TAXES

Taxes are an important and complex 

aspect of owning and operating a 

successful business. Your accountant, 

payroll person, or tax adviser may be 

very knowledgeable, but there are still 

many facets of tax law that you should 

know. The Internal Revenue Service is 

a great source for tax information.

Small Business/Self-Employed Tax 

Center: www.irs.gov/Businesses/SmallBusinesses-&-Self-Employed.

When you are running a business, 

you don’t need to be a tax expert. 

However, you do need to know some 

tax basics. The IRS Small Business/

Self-Employed Tax Center gives you 

the information you need to stay tax 

compliant so your business can thrive. 

For Small Business Forms and 

Publications visit: www.irs.gov/

Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-SelfEmployed/Small-Business-Forms-andPublications.

FEDERAL PAYROLL TAX 

(EIN NUMBERS)

An Employer Identification Number 

(EIN), also known as a Federal 

Employer Identification Number 

(FEIN), is used to identify a business 

entity. Generally, businesses need an 

EIN to pay federal withholding tax. 

You may apply for an EIN in various 

ways, one of which is to apply online 

at www.irs.gov/Businesses/SmallBusinesses-&-Self-Employed/EmployerID-Numbers-EINs. This is a free service 

offered by the Internal Revenue 

Service. 

Call 800-829-1040 if you have 

questions. You should check with your 

state to determine if you need a state 

number or charter.

FEDERAL 

SELF-EMPLOYMENT TAX

Every employee must pay Social 

Security and Medicare taxes. If you 

are self-employed, your contributions 

are made through the self-employment 

tax. 

The IRS has publications, counselors 

and workshops available to help you 

sort it out. For more information, 

contact the IRS at 800-829-1040 or 

www.irs.gov.

Taxpayer Advocate Service

The Taxpayer Advocate Service is an 

independent organization within the 

IRS, headed by the National Taxpayer 

Advocate, that helps individual and 

business taxpayers resolve problems 

with the IRS. Local case advocates 

listen to your point of view, work with 

you to address your concerns, and see 

your case through to an appropriate 

resolution. 

Local Taxpayer Advocate Service Office

949 E. 36th Ave., Rm. A-209

Anchorage, AK 99508

907-271-6877 or 877-777-4778

907-271-6157 Fax 

www.irs.gov

Sales Tax

 The State of Alaska does not 

currently levy sales or use taxes. 

However, some local jurisdictions 

impose local sales taxes and other 

taxes. For more information regarding 

municipal taxation rates and policies, 

visit the State of Alaska Department 

of Commerce, Community, and 

Economic Development Division of 

Community and Regional Affairs 

Office of the State Assessor Web site 

at: www.dced.state.ak. us/dca/osa/osa_

home.htm or review the most recent 

edition of their annual publication, 

Alaska Taxable 2010, on the Web at: 

www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/ osa/

pub/10Taxable_less_statutes.pdf.

SALES TAX 

EXEMPTION CERTIFICATE

If you plan to sell products, you 

will need a Sales Tax Exemption 

Certificate. It allows you to purchase 

inventory, or materials, which will 

become part of the product you sell, 

from suppliers without paying taxes. 

It requires you to charge sales tax 

to your customers, which you are 

responsible for remitting to the 

state. You will have to pay penalties 

if it is found that you should have 

been taxing your products and now 

owe back taxes to the state. For 

information on sales tax issues, 

contact your state government.

FEDERAL INCOME TAX

Like the state income tax, the method 

of paying federal income taxes depends 

upon your legal form of business.

Sole Proprietorship: You must file 

IRS Federal Form Schedule C along 

with your personal Federal Income 

Tax return (Form 1040) and any other 

applicable forms pertaining to gains or 

losses in your business activity. 

Partnership: You must file a Federal 

Partnership return (Form 1065). This 

is merely informational to show gross 

and net earnings of profit and loss. Also, 

each partner must report his share of 

partnership earnings on his individual 

Form 1040 based on the information 

from the K-1 filed with the Form 1065.

Corporation: You must file a 

Federal Corporation Income Tax 

return (Form 1120). You will also be 

required to report your earnings from 

the corporation including salary and 

other income such as dividends on your 

personal federal income tax return 

(Form 1040).
42 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

FEDERAL PAYROLL TAX

Federal Withholding Tax: Any 

business employing a person must 

register with the IRS and acquire an 

EIN and pay federal withholding tax at 

least quarterly. File Form SS-4 with the 

IRS to obtain your number and required 

tax forms. Call 800-829-3676 or 

800-829-1040 if you have questions.

IRS WEB PRODUCTS 

FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

For the most timely and up-to-date 

tax information, go to www.irs.gov. 

VIRTUAL SMALL BUSINESS 

WORKSHOP

www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-

&-Self-Employed/Small-Business-SelfEmployed-Virtual-Small-Business-TaxWorkshop

The Virtual Small Business Tax 

Workshop is the first of a series of 

video products designed exclusively 

for small business taxpayers. 

This workshop helps business 

owners understand federal tax 

obligations. The Virtual Small 

Business Workshop is available on 

CD at www.irs.gov/businesses/small/

article/0,,id=101169,00.html if you 

are unable to attend a workshop in 

person. Small business workshops are 

designed to help the small business 

owner understand and fulfill their 

federal tax responsibilities. Workshops 

are sponsored and presented by 

IRS partners who are federal tax 

specialists. 

Workshop topics vary from a 

general overview of taxes to more 

specific topics such as recordkeeping 

and retirement plans. Although 

most are free, some workshops have 

fees associated with them. Fees 

for a workshop are charged by the 

sponsoring organization, not the IRS.

The IRS’s Virtual Small Business 

Tax Workshop is an interactive 

resource to help small business owners 

learn about their federal tax rights 

and responsibilities. This educational 

product, available online and on CD 

consists of nine stand-alone lessons 

that can be selected and viewed in 

any sequence. A bookmark feature 

makes it possible to leave and return 

to a specific point within the lesson. 

Users also have access to a list of 

useful online references that enhance 

the learning experience by allowing 

them to view references and the video 

lessons simultaneously. 

The Tax Calendar for 

Small Businesses and SelfEmployed (Publication 1518) 

www.irs.gov/businesses/small/

article/0,,id=101169,00.html contains 

useful information on general 

business taxes, IRS and SSA customer 

assistance, electronic filing and paying 

options, retirement plans, business 

publications and forms, common tax 

filing dates, and federal legal holidays.

SOCIAL SECURITY CARDS

All employees must have a Social 

Security number and card. It must be 

signed by its owner, and you should 

always ask to see and personally record 

the Social Security number. Failure to 

do so may cause your employee to lose 

benefits and considerable trouble for 

yourself in back tracking to uncover the 

error.

Each payday, your employees must 

receive a statement from you telling 

them what deductions were made 

BUSINESS ORGANIZATION: 

Choosing Your Business Structure

 There are many forms of legal 

structure you may choose for your 

business. Each legal structure offers 

organizational options with different 

tax and liability issues. We suggest 

you research each legal structure 

thoroughly and consult a tax 

accountant and/or attorney prior to 

making your decision.

The most common organizational 

structures are sole proprietorships, 

general and limited partnerships and 

limited liability companies. 

Each structure offers unique tax and 

liability benefits. If you’re uncertain 

which business format is right for you, 

you may want to discuss options with a 

business counselor or attorney.

Sole Proprietorship

One person operating a business as 

an individual is a sole proprietorship. 

It’s the most common form of business 

organization. Profits are taxed as 

income to the owner personally. The 

personal tax rate is usually lower than 

the corporate tax rate. The owner 

has complete control of the business, 

but faces unlimited liability for its 

debts. There is very little government 

regulation or reporting required with 

this business structure.

General Partnership

A partnership exists when two 

or more persons join together in 

the operation and management 

of a business. Partnerships are 

subject to relatively little regulation 

and are fairly easy to establish. A 

formal partnership agreement is 

recommended to address potential 

conflicts such as: who will be 

responsible for performing each 

task; what, if any, consultation is 

needed between partners before 

major decisions, and what happens 

when a partner dies. Under a general 

partnership each partner is liable for 

all debts of the business. Profits are 

taxed as income to the partners based 

on their ownership percentage.

Limited Partnership

Like a general partnership, a 

limited partnership is established by 

an agreement between two or more 

persons. However, there are two types 

of partners.

• A general partner has greater 

control in some aspects of the 

partnership. For example, only 

a general partner can decide to 

dissolve the partnership. General 

partners have no limits on the 

dividends they can receive from 

profit so they incur unlimited 

liability.

• Limited partners can only 

receive a share of profits based 

on the proportional amount of 

their investment, and liability is 

similarly limited in proportion to 

their investment.

LLCs and LLPs

The limited liability company 

or partnership is a relatively 

new business form. It combines 

selected corporate and partnership 

characteristics while still maintaining 

status as a legal entity distinct from 

its owners. As a separate entity it can 

acquire assets, incur liabilities and 

conduct business. It limits liability 

for the owners. The limited liability 

partnership is similar to the LLC, but 

it is for professional organizations.
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 43

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

and how many dollars were taken out 

for each legal purpose. This can be 

presented in a variety of ways, including 

on the check as a detachable portion 

or in the form of an envelope with the 

items printed and spaces for dollar 

deductions to be filled in.

EMPLOYEE CONSIDERATIONS 

Taxes

If you have any employees, including 

officers of a corporation but not the sole 

proprietor or partners, you must make 

periodic payments towards, and/or file 

quarterly reports about payroll taxes 

and other mandatory deductions. You 

may contact these government agencies 

for information, assistance and forms.

Social Security Administration 

800-772-1213

www.ssa.gov

Social Security’s Business Services 

Online

The Social Security Administration 

now provides free electronic services 

online at www.socialsecurity.gov/

employer/. Once registered for Business 

Services Online, business owners or 

their authorized representative can:

• file W-2s online; and

• verify Social Security numbers 

through the Social Security Number 

Verification Service, used for all 

employees prior to preparing and 

submitting Forms W-2.

Federal Withholding 

U.S. Internal Revenue Service

800-829-1040

www.irs.gov

Health Insurance

Compare plans in your area at 

www.healthcare.gov.

Employee Insurance

If you hire employees you may be 

required to provide unemployment 

or workers’ compensation insurance. 

The Alaska Department of Labor 

and Workforce Development provides 

a comprehensive overview of legal 

obligations, labor standards and safety 

requirements, unemployment insurance 

requirements, and other information 

for employers in their 2007 Alaska 

Employer Resource Manual, available 

on their Web site at: www.jobs.alaska.

gov/ handbook/AERM.pdf.

The Department also provides 

employers with links to additional 

information and resources on their 

Web site at: www.labor.state.ak.us/

employer/ employer.htm.

Alaska Department of Labor 

and Workforce Development 

Employment Security Tax Section

Provides assistance and information to 

employers regarding the Unemployment 

Insurance (UI) tax program and is 

responsible for the collection of UI taxes. 

For additional information, visit their 

web site at www.labor.state.ak.us/estax/ 

home.htm or contact:

Alaska Department of Labor and 

Workforce Development

Employment Security Tax Section

P.O. Box 115509

Juneau, AK 99811-5509

907-465-2757 or 888-448-3527

907-465-2374 Fax 
44 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Alaska Department of Labor and 

Workforce Development Division of 

Workers’ Compensation

The Alaska Workers’ Compensation 

Act requires each employer with one 

or more employees in Alaska to have 

workers’ compensation insurance, 

unless the employer qualifies as a selfinsurer. Coverage is obtained from 

commercial insurance carriers. For 

more information, visit the Division of 

Worker’s Compensation Web site at: 

www.labor.state.ak.us/wc/er-profit.html 

or contact:

Division of Workers’ Compensation

P.O. Box 115512

Juneau, AK 99811

907-465-2790 • 907-465-2797 Fax

WORKPLACE DISABILITY 

PROGRAMS

Americans with Disabilities Act 

(ADA): For assistance with the ADA, 

call 800-669-3362 or visit www.ada.gov.

U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND 

IMMIGRATION SERVICES

The Federal Immigration Reform and 

Control Act of 1986 requires employers 

to verify employment eligibility of 

new employees. The law obligates 

an employer to process Employment 

Eligibility Verification Form I-9. The 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

Services Office of Business Liaison 

offers a selection of information 

bulletins and live assistance through 

the Employer Hotline. For forms call 

800-870-3676, for the Employer Hotline 

call 800-357-2099.

E-Verify: Employment Eligibility 

Verification

E-Verify, operated by the Department 

of Homeland Security in partnership 

with the Social Security Administration, 

is the best — and quickest — way for 

employers to determine the employment 

eligibility of new hires. It is a safe, 

simple, and secure Internet-based 

system that electronically verifies 

the Social Security number and 

employment eligibility information 

reported on Form I-9. E-Verify is 

voluntary in most states and there is no 

charge to use it.

If you are an employer or employee 

and would like more information about 

the E-Verify program, please visit 

www.dhs.gov/E-Verify or contact 

Customer Support staff: 1-888-464-4218 

Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

E-mail: e-verify@dhs.gov

SAFETY AND HEALTH 

REGULATIONS

All businesses with employees 

are required to comply with state 

and federal regulations regarding 

the protection of employees. The 

Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration provides information on 

the specific health and safety standards 

adopted by the U.S. Department of 

Labor. Call 1-800-321-6742 or visit 

www.osha.gov.

BUILDING CODES, 

PERMITS AND ZONING

It is important to consider zoning 

regulations when choosing a site 

for your business. You may not be 

permitted to conduct business out of 

your home or engage in industrial 

activity in a retail district. Contact 

the business license office in the city or 

town where the business is located.

BAR CODING

Many stores require bar coding on 

packaged products. Many industrial 

and manufacturing companies use bar 

coding to identify items they receive and 

ship. There are several companies that 

can assist businesses with bar-coding 

needs. You may want to talk with an 

SBDC, SCORE or WBC counselor for 

more information.

Federal Registration of Trademarks 

and Copyrights

Trademarks or service marks are 

words, phrases, symbols, designs or 

combinations thereof that identify 

and distinguish the source of goods. 

Trademarks may be registered at both 

the state and federal level. To register a 

federal trademark, contact:

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

P.O. Box 1450

Alexandria, VA 22313-1450

800-786-9199

www.uspto.gov/

Trademark Information Hotline

703-308-9000

STATE REGISTRATION 

OF A TRADEMARK

Trademarks and service marks may 

be registered in a state. 

Caution: Federally registered 

trademarks may conflict with and 

supersede state registered business and 

product names. 

Patents

A patent is the grant of a property 

right to the inventor by the U.S. Patent 

and Trademark Office. It provides the 

owner with the right to exclude others 

from making, using, offering for sale or 

selling the patented item in the United 

States.

Additional information is provided in 

the publications, General Information 

Concerning Patents and other 

publications distributed through the 

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. For 

more information, contact the:

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

800-786-9199 • www.uspto.gov

Copyrights

Copyrights protect original works of 

authorship including literary, dramatic, 

musical and artistic, and certain other 

intellectual works. Copyrights do 

not protect facts, ideas and systems, 

although it may protect the way these 

things are expressed. For general 

information contact:

U.S. Copyright Office

U.S. Library of Congress

James Madison Memorial Building

Washington, DC 20559

202-707-9100 - Order Line

202-707-3000 - Information Line

www.copyright.gov
OTHER SOURCES OF 

ASSISTANCE

Local, State and Federal 

Sources of Assistance

Better Business Bureau, Chambers of 

Commerce, and Convention and Visitors 

Bureaus are located throughout Alaska and 

provide small business information and 

assistance. For more information, contact 

one of the following:

ALASKA BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU

341 W Tudor Rd., Ste. 209

Anchorage, AK 99503

907-562-0704 • 907-562-4061 Fax

www.thebbb.org 

ALASKA STATE CoC 

Juneau Headquarters

9301 Glacier Hwy., Ste. 110

Juneau, AK 99801

907-586-2323 • 907-463-5515 Fax

www.alaskachamber.com 

ANCHOR POINT CoC

P.O. Box 610

Anchor Point, AK 99556

907-235-2600 • 907-235-2600 Fax

www.anchorpointchamber.org 

ANCHORAGE CoC 

471 W. 36th Ave., Ste. 201 

Anchorage, AK 99503

907-278-2722 • 907-278-6643 Fax 

www.anchoragechamber.org 

ANCHORAGE CONVENTION AND 

VISITORS BUREAU

524 W. Fourth Ave.

Anchorage, AK 99501-2212

907-276-4118 • 907-278-5559 Fax

www.anchorage.net 

BETHEL CoC

P.O. Box 329

Bethel, AK 99559

907-543-2911 • 907-543-2255 Fax

www.bethelakchamber.org 

BIG LAKE CoC

P.O. Box 520067

Big Lake, AK 99652

907-892-6109 • 907-892-6120 Fax

www.biglakechamber.org 

BRISTOL BAY BOROUGH CoC 

P.O. Box 224

King Salmon, AK 99613v

907-246-2222

www.visitbristolbay.info/

CHUGIAK-EAGLE RIVER CoC

P.O. Box 770353

Eagle River, AK 99577

907-694-4702 • 907-694-1205 Fax

www.cer.org

COOPER LANDING CHAMBER 

OF COMMERCE & VISITORS BUREAU

P.O. Box 809

Cooper Landing, AK 99572

907-595-8888 • 907-595-8888 Fax

www.cooperlandingchamber.com 

COPPER VALLEY CoC

P.O. Box 469

Glennallen, AK 99588

907-822-5555 • 907-822-5558 Fax

www.coppervalleychamber.com 

CORDOVA CoC

P.O. Box 99

Cordova, AK 99574

907-424-7260 • 907-424-7259 Fax

www.cordovachamber.com 

DELTA JUNCTION CoC

P.O. Box 987

Delta Junction, AK 99737

907-895-5068 • 907-895-5141 Fax

www.deltachamber.org 

DILLINGHAM CoC

P.O. Box 348

Dillingham, AK 99576

907-842-5115 • 907-842-4097 Fax

www.dillinghamak.com 

FAIRBANKS CONVENTION 

AND VISITORS BUREAU

101 Dunkel St., Ste. 111

Fairbanks, AK 99701

800-327-5774 • 907-459-3757 Fax

www.explorefairbanks.com

FUNNY RIVER CoC

35850 Pioneer Rd.

Soldotna, AK 99669

907-262-0879 

GIRDWOOD CoC

P.O. Box 1313

Girdwood, AK 99587

907-222-7682

www.girdwoodalaska.com 

GREATER FAIRBANKS CoC

100 Cushman St., Ste. 102

Fairbanks, AK 99701

907-452-1105 • 907-456-6968 Fax

www.fairbankschamber.org 

GREATER HEALY/DENALI CoC

.6 Mile Healy Spur Rd./P.O. Box 437

Healy, AK 99743

907-683-4636

www.denalichamber.com 

GREATER KETCHIKAN CoC

2417 Tongass Ave. 5957, Ste. 223A

Ketchikan, AK 99901

907-225-3184 • 907-225-3187 Fax

www.ketchikanchamber.com 

GREATER PALMER CoC

550 S. Alaska St., Ste. 101

Palmer, AK 99645

907-745-2880 • 907-746-4164 Fax

www.palmerchamber.org 

GREATER SITKA CoC

P.O. Box 638

Sitka, AK 99835

907-747-8604 • 907-747-7413 Fax

www.sitkacoc.com

GREATER SOLDOTNA CoC 

44790 Sterling Hwy.

Soldotna, AK 99669

907-262-9814 • 907-262-3566 Fax

www.soldotnachamber.com

GREATER WASILLA CoC

415 E. Railroad Ave.

Wasilla, AK 99654

907-376-1299 • 907-373-2560 Fax

www.wasillachamber.org

HAINES CoC

P.O. Box 1449

Haines, AK 99827

907-766-2202 • 907-766-2271 Fax

www.haineschamber.org

HAINES CONVENTION AND 

VISITORS BUREAU

P.O. Box 530

Haines, AK 99827

907-766-2234 • 907-766-3155 Fax

www.haines.ak.us

HOMER CoC

201 Sterling Hwy.

Homer, AK 99603

907-235-7740 • 907-235-8766 Fax

www.homeralaska.org 

HOUSTON CoC

P.O. Box 940356

Houston, AK 99694

907-892-6812 • 907-892-6813 Fax

www.houstonakchamber.com 

JUNEAU CoC

3100 Channel Dr., Ste. 300

Juneau, AK 99801

907-463-3488 • 907-463-3483 Fax

www.juneauchamber.com

JUNEAU CONVENTION AND 

VISITORS BUREAU

101 Eagan Dr.

Juneau, AK 99801-1754

907-586-2201 • 907-586-6304 Fax

800-581-2201 Toll Free

www.traveljuneau.com

KENAI CoC

402 Overland St.

Kenai, AK 99611

907-283-7989 • 907-283-7183 Fax

www.kenaichamber.org

KENAI CoC AND 

VISITORS CENTER

11471 Kenai Spur Hwy.

Kenai, AK 99611-7757

907-283-1991 • 907-283-2230 Fax

www.visitkenai.com

KETCHIKAN VISITORS BUREAU

131 Front St.

Ketchikan, AK 99901

907-225-6166 • 907-225-4250 Fax

800-770-3300 Toll Free

www.visit-ketchikan.com

DISCOVER KODIAK VISITORS BUREAU

100 Marine Way, Ste. 200

Kodiak, AK 99615

907-486-4782 • 907-486-6545 Fax

www.kodiak.org

KODIAK COC 

100 Marine Way, Ste. 300

Kodiak, AK 99615

907-486-5557 • 907-486-7605 Fax

www.kodiakchamber.org

KOREAN CoC

7020 Gibbs Hill 

Anchorage, AK 99686

MATANUSKA-SUSITNA 

CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU

7744 E. Visitors View Ct.

Palmer, AK 99645

907-746-5000 • 907-746-2688 Fax

www.alaskavisit.com

MOOSE PASS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 

& VISITORS BUREAU

P.O. Box 147 

Moose Pass, AK 99631

www.moosepassalaska.com

NIKISKI CoC

P.O. Box 8053

Nikiski, AK 99635

907-776-5551 • 907-776-8836 Fax

NENANA VALLEY CoC

P.O. Box 124

Nenana AK 99760

907-832-5442

www.nenanahomepage.com

NINILCHICK CoC

P.O. Box 39164

Ninilchik, AK 99639

907-567-3571

www.ninilchikchamber.com

NOME CoC

P.O. Box 250

Nome, AK 99762

907-443-3879 • 907-443-3892 Fax

NOME CONVENTION AND 

VISITORS BUREAU

P.O. Box 240 

Nome, AK 99762

907-443-6555 • 907-443-5832 Fax

www.visitnomealaska.com

NORTH POLE COMMUNITY CoC

125 Snowman Ln.

North Pole, AK 99705

907-488-2281 • 907-488-3002 Fax

www.northpolechamber.us

OTHER ASSISTANCE

OTHER ASSISTANCE

Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 45
PETERSBURG CoC

P.O. Box 649

Petersburg, AK 99833

907-772-4636 • 907-772-2453 Fax

www.petersburg.org

PRINCE OF WALES CoC

P.O. Box 490

Klawock, AK 99921

907-755-2626 • 907-755-2627 Fax

www.princeofwalescoc.org

SELDOVIA CoC

P.O. Drawer F

Seldovia, AK 99663

907-234-7612 • 907-234-7526 Fax

www.seldovia.com

SEWARD CoC

P.O. Box 749

Seward, AK 99664

907-224-8051 • 907-224-5353 Fax

www.seward.com

SITKA CONVENTION AND 

VISITORS BUREAU

P.O. Box 1226

Sitka, AK 99835

907-747-5940 • 907-747-3739 Fax

www.sitka.org

SKAGWAY CoC

P.O. Box 194

Skagway, AK 99840

907-983-1898 • 907-983-2031 Fax

www.skagwaychamber.org

SKAGWAY CONVENTION 

AND VISITORS BUREAU

P.O. Box 1029

Skagway, AK 99840

907-983-2854 • 907-983-3854 Fax

www.skagway.com

SUNSHINE CoC

P.O. Box 793

Willow, AK 99688

907-733-1416 • 907-733-1816 Fax

TALKEETNA CoC

P.O. Box 334

Talkeetna, AK 99676

907-733-2330 • 907-733-3940 Fax

www.talkeetnachamber.org

TOK CoC

P.O. Box 389

Tok, AK 99780

907-883-5775 

www.tokalaskainfo.com

UNALASKA/DUTCH HARBOR CONVENTION 

AND VISITORS BUREAU

P.O. Box 545

Unalaska, AK 99685

907-581-2612 • 907-581-2613 Fax

www.unalaska.info

VALDEZ CONVENTION AND 

VISITORS BUREAU

104 Chenega St.

Valdez, AK 99686

907-835-2984 • 907-835-4845 Fax

www.valdezalaska.org

WILLOW CoC

P.O. Box 183

Willow, AK 99688

907-495-6800 • 907-495-6800 Fax

www.willowchamber.org

WRANGELL CoC

224 Front St./P.O. Box 49

Wrangell, AK 99929

907-874-3901 • 907-874-3905 Fax

www.wrangellchamber.org

WRANGELL CONVENTION 

AND VISITORS BUREAU

P.O. Box 531

Wrangell, AK 99929

907-874-2381 • 907-874-3952 Fax

www.wrangell.com/business/resources/wcvb

Chambers of Commerce 

and Convention and 

Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) 

located outside Alaska:

AMERICAN CoC 

Executives Manager 

Information Central

4875 Eisenhower Ave., Ste. 250

Alexandria, VA 22304

703-998-0072 • 703-212-9512 Fax

www.acce.org

BELLINGHAM/WHATCOM CoC 

119 N. Commercial St., Ste 110

Bellingham, WA 98225

360-734-1330 • 360-734-1332 Fax

www.bellingham.com

GREATER SEATTLE CoC 

1301 5th Ave., Ste. 2500

Seattle, WA 98101-2611

206-389-7200 • 206-389-7288 Fax

www.seattlechamber.com

STEWART AND HYDER INTERNATIONAL 

CoC 

222 5th Ave./P.O. Box 306

Stewart, BC V0T 1W0 Canada

250-636-9224 • 250-636-2199 Fax

888-366-5999 Toll Free

www.stewart-hyder.com

TACOMA-PIERCE COUNTY CoC 

950 Pacific Ave., Ste. 300/P.O. Box 1933

Tacoma, WA 98402-1933

253-627-2175 • 253-597-7305 Fax

www.tacomachamber.org

UNITED STATES CHAMBER OF 

COMMERCE NATIONAL OFFICE

1615 H St. N.W.

Washington, DC 20062-2000

202-659-6000 • 202-463-5836 Fax

800-638-6582 Toll Free

www.uschamber.com

UNITED STATES CHAMBER OF 

COMMERCE, NORTHWEST REGION

3400 188th St. S.W., Ste. 403

Lynnwood, WA 98037

425-774-8094 • 425-778-8341 Fax

www.uschamber.com

YAKUTAT CoC

P.O. Box 510

Yakutat, AK 99689

yakutattourism@live.com

YUKON CoC

101-307 Jarvis St.

Whitehorse, YT Y1A 2H3 Canada

867-667-2000 • 867-667-2001 Fax

800-661-0543 Toll Free

www.yukonchamber.com

Alaska Native Regional 

Corporations

AHTNA, INC. 

P.O. Box 649

Glennallen, AK 99588

907-822-3476 • 907-822-3495 Fax

www.ahtna-inc.com

THE ALEUT CORPORATION 

4000 Old Seward Hwy., Ste. 300

Anchorage, AK 99503

907-561-4300 • 907-563-4328 Fax

www.aleutcorp.com

ARCTIC SLOPE REGIONAL CORPORATION 

3900 C St., Ste. 801

Anchorage, AK 99503-5963

907-339-6000 • 907-339-6028 Fax

www.asrc.com

BERING STRAITS NATIVE CORPORATION 

P.O. Box 1008

Nome, AK 99762

907-443-5252 • 907-443-2985 Fax

www.beringstraits.com

BRISTOL BAY NATIVE CORPORATION 

111 W. 16th Ave., Ste. 400

Anchorage, AK 99501

907-278-3602 • 907-276-3924 Fax

www.bbnc.net

CALISTA CORPORATION 

301 Calista Ct. 

Anchorage, AK 99518-3000

907-279-5516 • 907-272-5060 Fax

www.calistacorp.com

CHUGACH ALASKA CORPORATION

3800 Centerpoint Dr., Ste. 601

Anchorage, AK 99503 

907-563-8866 • 907-563-8402 Fax 

www.chugach-ak.com

COOK INLET REGION, INC. (CIRI) 

2525 C St., Ste. 500 /P.O. Box 93330 

Anchorage, AK 99503-3330 

907-274-8638 • 907-279-8836 Fax

www.ciri.com

DOYON, LTD. 

1 Doyon Pl., Ste. 300

Fairbanks, AK 99701-2941

907-459-2000 • 907-459-2060 Fax

www.doyon.com

KONIAG, INC. 

194 Alimaq Dr.

Kodiak, AK 99615

907-486-2530 • 907-486-3325 Fax

www.koniag.com

NANA REGIONAL CORPORATION 

1001 E. Benson Blvd.

Anchorage, AK 99508

907-265-4100 • 907-265-4123 Fax

www.nana.com

SEALASKA CORPORATION 

One Sealaska Plz., Ste. 400

Juneau, AK 99801

907-586-1512 • 907-586-2304 Fax

www.sealaska.com

Area Regional 

Development 

Organizations (Ardor)

ANCHORAGE ECONOMIC 

DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

510 L St., Ste. 603

Anchorage, AK 99501

907-258-3700 • 907-258-6646 Fax

www.aedcweb.com

KAWERAK, INC.

P.O. Box 948

Nome, AK 99762

907-443-5231 • 907-443-4452 Fax

www.kawerak.org

COPPER VALLEY DEVELOPMENT 

ASSOCIATION

P.O. Box 9

Glennallen, AK 99588-0009

907-822-5001 • 907-822-5009 Fax

www.coppervalley.org

FAIRBANKS NORTH STAR BOROUGH

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

809 Pioneer Rd./P.O. Box 71267

Fairbanks, AK 99707-1267

907-459-1000 • 907-459-1102 Fax

www.co.fairbanks.ak.us

KENAI PENINSULA ECONOMIC 

DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT

14896 Kenai Spur Rd., Ste. 103A

Kenai, AK 99611-7756

907-283-3335 • 907-283-3913 Fax

www.kpedd.org

OTHER ASSISTANCE

OTHER ASSISTANCE

46 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak
MAT-SU RESOURCE, CONSERVATION 

& DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

991 N. Hermon Rd., Ste. 250

Wasilla, AK 99654

907-373-1016 ext. 108 

907-373-1013 Fax

www.matsudevelopment.org

NORTHWEST ARCTIC BOROUGH 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

P.O. Box 1110

Kotzebue, AK 99752

907-442-2500 • 907-442-2560 Fax

www.nwabor.org/

economicdevelopmentcommission.html

PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND ECONOMIC

DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT

2207 Spenard Rd., Ste. 207

Anchorage, AK 99503

907-222-2440 • 907-222-2411 Fax

www.pwsedd.org

SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE

P.O. Box 21989

Juneau, AK 99802-1989

907-523-4350 • 907-463-5670 Fax

www.seconference.org

SOUTHWEST ALASKA 

MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE

3300 Arctic Blvd., Ste. 203

Anchorage, AK 99503

907-562-7380 • 907-562-1206 Fax

www.swamc.org

USDA Rural Development 

Offices

ALASKA STATE RURAL DEVELOPMENT 

OFFICE

800 W. Evergreen, Ste. 201

Palmer, AK 99645

907-761-7700 • 907-761-7783 Fax 

www.rurdev.usda.gov/ak

BETHEL OFFICE

510 L St., Ste. 410

Bethel, AK 99501

907-271-3025

www.rurdev.usda.gov/ak/offices.htm

DILLINGHAM OFFICE

Herman Schroder Bldg.

104 Main St., Ste. 301A/P.O. Box 1370

Dillingham, AK 99576

907-842-3921 • 907-842-3922 Fax

www.rurdev.usda.gov/ak/offices.htm

FAIRBANKS OFFICE

590 University Ave. 

Fairbanks, AK 99709

907-479-6767 ext. 4 • 907-457-4069 Fax

www.rurdev.usda.gov/ak/offices.htm

KENAI OFFICE

110 Trading Bay Rd., Ste. 160

Kenai, AK 99611

907-283-6640 ext. 4 • 907-283-9667 Fax

www.rurdev.usda.gov/ak/offices.htm

NOME OFFICE

800 W. Evergreen, Ste. 201

Palmer, AK 99645

907-761-7705

www.rurdev.usda.gov/ak/offices.htm

SITKA OFFICE

201 Katlian St., Ste. 109A

Sitka, AK 99835

907-747-3506 • 907-747-3597 Fax

www.rurdev.usda.gov/ak/offices.htm

Additional Small 

Business, Community and 

Economic Development 

Assistance Resources in 

Alaska

AK STARTUPS

3211 Providence Dr., BOC 3, Ste. 199

Anchorage, AK 99508

907-786-5458

Contact: Nolan Klouda

www.akstartups.com

ALASKA INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND 

EXPORT AUTHORITY

813 W. Northern Lights Blvd.

Anchorage, AK 99503

907-771-3000 • 907-771-3044 Fax

www.aidea.org

ALASKA VILLAGE INITIATIVES

1577 C St., Ste. 304

Anchorage, AK 99501

907-274-5400 • 907-263-9971 Fax

800-478-2332 Toll Free

www.akvillage.com

ANCHORAGE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

CORPORATION 

510 L St., Ste. 603

Anchorage, AK 99501

907-258-3700 • 907-258-6646 Fax

www.aedcweb.com

BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, 

ALASKA REGION

BRANCH OF CREDIT AND FINANCE

3601 C St., Ste. 1100

Anchorage, AK 99503

907-271-4477 or 800-645-8465 Toll Free 

907-271-1750 Fax

www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/RegionalOffices/

Alaska/index.htm

EVERGREEN BUSINESS CAPITOL

Jamie Sherbondy, Programs Loan Officer

(Community Advantage Program)

13925 Interurban Ave S., Ste. 100

Seattle, WA 98168

206-315-8367 Mobile 

206-225-9722 Office 

800-878-6613 Toll Free

http://www.evergreen504.com

FAIRBANKS ECONOMIC 

DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

301 Cushman St., Ste. 301

Fairbanks, AK 99701

907-452-2185 • 907-451-9534 Fax

www.investfairbanks.com

JUNEAU ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

COUNCIL

612 W. Willoughby, Ste. A

Juneau, AK 99801-1732

907-523-2300 • 907-463-3929 Fax

www.jedc.org

STATE OF ALASKA DEPARTMENT 

OF COMMERCE, COMMUNITY, AND 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

DIVISION OF INVESTMENTS

ANCHORAGE OFFICE 

550 W. Seventh Ave., Ste. 1930

Anchorage, AK 99501-3570

907-269-8110 • 907-269-8125 Fax

www.commerce.state.ak.us/investments

DIVISION OF INVESTMENTS

JUNEAU OFFICE

3032 Vintage Blvd./P.O. Box 34159 

Juneau, AK 99803-4159

907-465-2510 • 907-465-2103 Fax

www.commerce.state.ak.us/investments

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

ALASKA EXPORT ASSISTANCE CENTER

550 West 7th Ave., Ste. 1770

Anchorage, AK 99501

907-271-6237 • 907-278-6242 Fax

www.buyusa.gov/alaska

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA CENTER FOR

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

3211 Providence Dr., DPL 202

Anchorage, AK 99508

907-786-5444 • 907-786-5446 Fax

http://ced.uaa.alaska.edu/

WORLD TRADE CENTER ALASKA

1815 Bragaw St., Ste. 102

Anchorage, AK 99508

907-278-7233 • 907-278-2982 Fax

www.wtcak.org

OTHER ASSISTANCE

OTHER ASSISTANCE

Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 47
ACTIVE SBA 

PARTICIPATING 

LENDERS IN ALASKA

BANCORP BANK (THE)

(FRANCHISES ONLY)

(PLP, SBAEXPRESS)

Diane Gallion, SVP

30 N. LaSalle 2320 

Chicago, Il 60606 

312-416-6801

http://www.thebancorp.com

 

BANK OF THE WEST

(EWCP, PLP, SBAEXPRESS)

Brian Clegg, VP Business 

Development Officer

142 E. 200 S.

Salt Lake City, UT 84111

801-519-7823

http://www.bankofwest.com

CELTIC BANK

(PLP, EWCP)

Frederick Crispen, Exec. Vice Pres. 

14101 Panama City Beach Pkwy., 

Ste. 300

Panama City Beach, FL 32413

850-230-0454 or 866-644-0042

850-527-5310 Mobile

http://www.celticbank.com/expres

DENALI STATE BANK 

Aaron Pletnikoff, Chief Lending 

Officer, SVP

119 N. Cushman St.

Fairbanks AK 99701

907-458-4228 or 907-378-6777

http://www.denalistatebank.com

FIRST BANK 

John Clifton, Vice President

P.O. Box 7920

Ketchikan AK 99901

907-228-4289 or 800-478-6101

http://www.firstbankak.com

FIRST NATIONAL BANK ALASKA 

(SBAEXPRESS, EWCP)

Ed LaFleur, Vice President

101 W 36th Ave., Ste. 333

Anchorage AK 99510-0720

907-777-3067 or 800-856-4362

http://www.fnbalaska.com

HANMI BANK 

(EWCP, PLP, SBAEXPRESS)

Mike Kim, Sr. Vice Pres. & Manager

928 South Western, Ste. 260

Los Angeles, CA 90006

213-427-5607

http://www.hanmi.com

KEYBANK N.A.

(PLP, SBAEXPRESS)

Craig Sherle, Sr. SBA Relations Mgr.

702 W. Idaho, Ste. 200 

Boise, ID 83702

208-364-8689 • 208-871-2203 F

http://www.key.com

LIVE OAK BANKING CO.

(PLP, SBAEXPRESS)

Whitney Bouknight, Loan Officer

1741 Tiburon Dr.

Wilmington, NC 28403

910-790-5867

http://www.liveoakbank.com

MOUNTAIN WEST BANK

(PLP, SBAEXPRESS, EXPORT 

EXPRESS)

Bob Beck, SBA Manager

125 Ironwood Dr.

Coeur D’alene, ID 83814

208-765-0284

http://www.mountainwestbank.com

MT. MCKINLEY MUTUAL 

SAVINGS BANK

(SBAEXPRESS)

Bart Lebon, Executive Vice Pres.

530 Fourth Ave.

Fairbanks AK 99707

907-452-1751

http://www.mtmckinleybank.com

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE BANK 

(NON-BANK LENDER)

(PLP, SBAEXPRESS)

Earl Carson, Commercial Lending 

Manager

801 B St., Ste. 300

Anchorage, AK 99501

907-561-5744

http://www.ncb.coop

NORTHRIM BANK (EWCP)

Anchorage: 

Brad Kiefer, VP Commercial 

Lending

907-261-4696

3111 C St., Ste. 410

Anchorage, AK 99503

Fairbanks: 

Jim Culley or Bill Staley, Loan 

Officers

907-455-1105

Wasilla: Daryl Lowe, Loan Officer

907-376-0396

Juneau: Tom Sullivan, VP/Senior 

Commercial Loan Officer

2094 Jordan Ave.

Juneau, AK 99801

907-790-5170 or 800-478-3050

http://www.northrim.biz

PACIFIC CITY BANK

(PLP, SBAEXPRESS)

Peter Han, Deputy Manager

3701 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 401

Los Angeles, CA 90010

213-210-2027

http://www.pacificcitybank.com

SUPERIOR FINANCIAL GROUP

(PATRIOT EXPRESS, PLP)

Sue Malone

536 San Ramon Valley Blvd., 

Ste. 137

Danville, CA 94526

925-899-8449 or 925-381-8409

www.superiorfg.com

www.strategiesforsmallbusiness.com

TWIN CITY BANK

(PLP, SBAEXPRESS)

Patty Flores, AVP Loan Operations 

Manager

729 Vandercook Way

Longview, WA 98632

360-414-4101

http://www.twincitybank.com

UNIBANK

(PLP, SBAEXPRESS)

Phillip Yun, SBA Manager

16929 Hwy. 99, Ste. 10

Lynnwood, WA 98037

425-275-9715

http://www.unibankusa.com

WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. 

(PLP, SBAEXPRESS)

Jim Harty, VP SBA Lending

301 W Northern Lights Blvd.

Anchorage, AK 99503

907-787-9016

Kelly Mears, Vice President

2975 N.W. Lucus Ct.

Bend, OR 97701

541-388-8453 or 541-408-7851

http://www.wellsfargo.com

CERTIFIED 

DEVELOPMENT 

COMPANIES 

(CDCs/504 LOANS)

EVERGREEN BUSINESS CAPITAL 

(CDC/504 LOANS)

P.O. Box 3673

Palmer, AK 99645-3673

907-746-5047 or 

800-878-6613 Main Office

www.evergreen504.com

NON-BANK LENDERS 

(Financial Institutions that do not 

hold depository accounts)

ALASKA GROWTH CAPITAL 

BIDCO, INC. (PLP)

Chris McGee, CEO

907-339-6784

Jesse Janssen, VP Lending 

907-339-6776

Benjamin Sumulong, Loan Officer

907-339-6785 or 888-315-4904

3900 C St., Ste. 302

Anchorage, AK 99503-5965

http://www.alaskagrowth.com

COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT 

FUND, USA

Jennifer Ericson, Regional Director 

of Business Development

801 Nicollet Mall, Ste. 1700W

Minneapolis, MN 55402

612-305-2058 

http://crffusa.com

HANA SMALL BUSINESS 

LENDING (PLP)

James Kim, Senior VP/Manager

1000 Wilshire Blvd., 20th Fl.

Los Angeles, CA 90017

213-977-5501

http://www.hanafinancial.com

CREDIT UNIONS

ALASKA USA FEDERAL CREDIT 

UNION (SBAEXPRESS)

Matt Williams, Member Business 

Dev. Manager 

907-646-6478

Sheli Dodson, Senior Member 

Business Develop. Officer

907-786-2817 

500 W 36th Ave., Ste. 400

Anchorage, AK 99503

http://www.alaskausa.org

DENALI ALASKAN FEDERAL 

CREDIT UNION (SBAEXPRESS)

Don Clary, Loan Officer

440 E. 36th Ave., Ste. 220

Anchorage, AK 99503-4136

907-257-7240

http://www.denalifcu.org

MATANUSKA VALLEY FEDERAL 

CREDIT UNION (SBAEXPRESS)

Read Dunn, Commerical Loan Mgr.

501 N. Main St.

Wasilla, AK 99654

907-761-4630

http://www.mvfcu.coop

TONGASS FEDERAL CREDIT 

UNION (SBAEXPRESS)

Nancy Christian, Business Loan &

Servicing Manager

2000 Tongass Ave.

Ketchikan, AK 99901

907-247-9063

http://www.tongassfcu.com/

SBA Lender Status:

PLP: Preferred Lender Program

Non-Bank Lender: Financial 

Institution that does not hold 

depository accounts.

SBAExpress: Lenders approved 

to provide SBAExpress loans, 

which are SBA guaranteed loans 

of $350,000 or less using a 

streamlined review process.

EWCP: Lenders approved to 

provide SBA Export Working 

Capital loans, which are 

SBA guaranteed loans of 

$2.0 million or less, focusing 

primarily on businesses that are 

able to generate export sales 

and need additional working 

capital to support these sales. 

CDC: Certified Development 

Company

SBA PARTICIPATING LENDERS

SBA PARTICIPATING LENDERS

48 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak
www.SBA.gov • connect with us @ facebook.com/SBAgov twitter.com/sbagov youtube.com/sba

On the Cover: Success is the Spice of Life for Owner of Greek Goddess Products

BUFFALO, NY – Like many foodpreuneurs before her, Evangeline Conley liked making her homemade salad dressing and marinade for 

her friends and family for special gatherings and occasions. Their positive reaction to the recipe gave her the motivation and idea to start 

her own business. 

When Conley founded Greek Goddess Products, Inc. in 2008, she reached out early for guidance on how to get started. She learned 

about the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Buffalo State College from a friend who suggested she start there. “The first 

thing I did was take a course through the SBDC. It was a start-up workshop allowing me the opportunity to learn about balance sheets, 

profits and loss, and ways to market my business,” says Conley. “As a business owner, it’s so important to learn about managing your 

finances and how to approach legal fees and trademark laws.” 

As a result of the assistance that Conley received from the Buffalo State SBDC, she was able to begin bottling Greek Goddess Salad 

Dressing and Marinade commercially. Today, the dressing is stocking the shelves of local stores, delis and markets in and around 

Western New York. “It’s a unique blend of olive oil, vinegar and spices, all natural ingredients,” said Conley. “Our customers love using it 

as salad dressing, meat/poultry/vegetable marinade, and simply dipping bread.” 

Conley, an encore entrepreneur, has worked with the center since her start-up, seeking advice and citing 

it as a vital step to growing her business. She credits her former business advisor John Mckeone of the 

Bufalo State College SBDC for the success she enjoys today. 

“We are seeing more and more encore entrepreneurs step into business,” says SBA Buffalo District 

Director Franklin Sciortino. “One in four individuals ages 44 to 70 is interested in becoming an entrepreneur 

and 63 percent of Americans plan to work during retirement. SBA and AARP joined forces in 2012 to 

reach out to baby boomers and provide them with the necessary training and mentoring services for older 

entrepreneurs to start or grow their small businesses and create jobs, just like Evangeline Conley did.”

 Conley is extremely proud of The Greek Goddess Products successes, and she is serious when she urges 

other businesses to seek out resources for growth. “Don’t be afraid of rejection,” she said. “Make sure your 

business is something you love, seek out help and feel good about what you do.” 
50 — Alaska Small Business Resource Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ak Alaska Small Business Resource — 51