WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 12: Maria Contreras-Sweet testifies during her nomination hearing before the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee on Capitol Hill, February 12, 2013 in Washington, DC. Ms. Sweet was nominated by President Obama to be Administrator of the Small Business Administration. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (2014 Getty Images)
The head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Maria Contreras-Sweet, said she sympathizes with the small business owners whose stores are being burned and looted by violent protesters in Ferguson, Missouri.
In an interview with Jo Ling Kent on the Fox Business Channel’s “Opening Bell with Maria Bartiromo,” Contreras-Sweet said that along with capital, contracting and counseling, the SBA provides small businesses help during these type of dangerous situations. “During a disaster we can actually go to a community and provide direct economic support for homes and for businesses who’ve been affected,” she said.
For the upcoming Small Business Saturday, Contreras-Sweet hopes that consumers think twice about their holiday shopping and consider the small businesses that she claims build vitality and culture in our local neighborhoods.
“When you travel, we see that it’s small businesses that create a sense of community,” she said.
She recommends shoppers to think outside the box. “Malls are all starting to look the same, so go to main street and shop small and then go to a great restaurant and dine small.”
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