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SBA Head, NFIB Discuss Small Business Issues in Sacramento

July 7, 2023 Last Edit: June 5, 2025

SBA Head, NFIB Discuss Small Business Issues in Sacramento

On a recent swing through California as part of her national outreach efforts, U.S. Small Business Administration leader Isabel Guzman and NFIB California State Director John Kabateck had a chance to reconnect in Sacramento. Kabateck and Guzman built a working relationship when she was director of the Office of Small Business Advocate in the Newsom administration during the pandemic when working together was never more important. Guzman and then-NFIB staff attorney Luke Wake teamed up for a 2020 podcast alerting small-business owners to the state and federal resources available to them to help them stay open and meet payroll. Later, when Guzman was tapped by President Biden to lead the U.S. Small Business Administration, NFIB issued this statement, which included, “We welcome Isabel Guzman, the nominee to lead the SBA, as she knows the needs of small businesses well. Her record with our members in California demonstrates she has extensive knowledge of the SBA and lending issues. We look forward to the confirmation hearings and subsequently working with her on issues that are crucial to America’s small businesses.” The were 20 or so small business owners, SBA resource partners, and business leaders at the July 6 meeting, which also included remarks from U.S. Rep. Ami Bera. “This was mainly a listening session for her to hear from small-business owners about access to capital and other issues,” said Kabateck. “I raised the issues of inflation, supply, chain disruptions, and finding skilled and qualified workers. Isabel and I spoke afterwards, and she was very amenable to doing another podcast with us here in California. She has always been very accessible.”

U.S. Rep. Ami Bera and U.S. Small Business Administrator Isabel Guzman

Guzman and NFIB California State Director John Kabateck

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