Blog October 2011

Previous Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)-funded studies of small business patenting activity established the existence of a cohort of independent, for-profit innovative small firms with 15 or more patents over a five-year period.

The studies also showed that innovative small firms had a higher percentage of emerging technology patents in their portfolios than their larger counterparts. A recent focus on “green” jobs, businesses, and technology led to this study of a subset of these innovative patent holders. This project was designed to highlight differences in the patent activity of small and large firms in green technologies and industries.

Overall Findings

Recently, the U.S. Small Business Administration proposed changes to existing rules governing maximum revenue allowed to maintain status as a small business and compete for set-aside contracts in 52 industries.

In a notice published in the Federal Register on October 12, 2011, SBA proposes to increase receipt based size standards for 37 industries in North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Sector 56, Administrative and Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services. This would include companies that provide various types of staffing services, including security guards and patrol, as well as travel and event planning companies.

Greetings!

As we embark on a new fiscal year, I’d like to begin by thanking all of you who helped make our Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Conference such a huge success. We had over 800 people in attendance learning about the best strategies to pursue government contracting opportunities, take advantage of new industries, and cultivate strategic partnerships to grow.  Please visit the MED Week website to view the photos and remarks from some of our most notable speakers like HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebilius, Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank, Treasury Assistant Secretary for Management Dan Tangherlini and others.

MBDA was busy building relationships as well. We signed three distinct Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) designed to foster minority business growth and development with Tremco, Inc., IBM, and the Republic of Turkey’s Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization.

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program provided a record $2.59 billion in fiscal year 2011 to small businesses, a 63 percent increase over last year’s $1.59 billion.

“Over the past two years, we’ve made SBIC work better than ever before,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills.  “We cut licensing time in half, which has strengthened efficiency and made it possible to get capital into the hands of small businesses more quickly. When an SBIC invests in a company, it can scale up and create jobs.”

The face of America – and of American agriculture – is changing. The number of farms in the United States has grown 4 percent and the operators of those farms have become more diverse in the past five years, according to results of USDA’s most recent Census of Agriculture.  The 2007 Census counted nearly 30 percent more women as principal farm operators. The count of Hispanic operators grew by 10 percent, and the counts of American Indian, Asian and Black farm operators increased as well.  In addition, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that the number of minority-owned businesses grew more than 45 percent between 2002 and 2007.

To reflect the diversity of our agricultural sector and business community, USDA is stepping up its efforts to continually supplement its seven Agricultural Trade Advisory Committees (ATACs) with new members, especially those who represent minorities, women, or persons with disabilities. We believe that people with different backgrounds and views will make the work of these committees, and thus of USDA, more effective.

Applicants should represent a U.S. entity with an interest in agricultural trade and have expertise and knowledge of agricultural trade as it relates to policy and commodity-specific issues. For example, Robert Anderson of Sustainable Strategies LLC has served at different points in time on both the Fruits and Vegetables ATAC and the Processed Foods ATAC. Of his experience, Anderson said, “I had the opportunity to meet directly with the highest levels of international trade leadership in the United States and globally. Most importantly, the U.S. government actually seeks our input, listens, and responds to the needs and expectations of the U.S. agricultural industry.”

At a time when our economy is trying to rebound from a serious recession, having a voice on one of these committees can make a significant impact on the government decisions that affect our economic future. That’s because agricultural trade plays an extremely important role in the health of our nation’s economy. U.S. agricultural exports have consistently contributed to the positive U.S. trade balance, creating jobs and boosting economic growth. In fiscal 2011, U.S. agricultural exports were forecast to reach a record $137 billion, which supported more than one million jobs in America this year.