Posted on 25. May, 2012 by citizen in Chatham, Local News
Community stakeholders and local business owners pose for a photo at Thursday's roundtable with Esther H. Vassar at the QBG Foundation. (L to R) Front row: Margaret Boyd, Margaret's Boutique & Day Spa; Ananias Granger, A&D Property Services, Inc.; Wanda Wright, Chicago State University; Jack Stonebraker, Best Buy; William Garth, CEO, Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group; Esther H. Vassar, National Ombudsman and Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Enforcement Fairness; Melinda Kelly, executive director, Chatham Business Association; Terri Zhu, Louis' Groceries NFP. Back Row: John Paul Jones, Developing Communities Project; Donnie Brown, Genesis Home Development; Brian Sleet, chief of staff, Alderman Roderick Sawyer (6th); Forest Brown, Silver Line Development; Ken Bennett, U.S. Dept. of Labor and Kim McCullough,Director of External Affairs, AT&T. (Photo by Thelma Sardin)
Members of the Chatham Business Association (CBA) received a wealth of information on Thursday afternoon from Esther H. Vassar, U.S. Small Business Administration National Ombudsman and Assistant Administrator of Regulatory Enforcement Fairness.
The Office of the National Ombudsman assists small businesses when they experience excessive or unfair federal regulatory enforcement actions, such as repetitive audits or excessive fines and other unfair actions by a federal agency. Established in 1996 with the passage of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act, the National Ombudsman?s office collaborates with 10 regional fairness boards, served by 50 small business owners from across the country.
Vassar was appointed National Ombudsman in August 2009. In her former roles as director of a state regulatory agency and Virginia?s Department of Minority Business Enterprise and her prominent roles working with businesses and community organizations, Vassar brings first hand experiences that enhance the communication and relationships between small businesses and federal regulatory agencies.
Vassar was in Chicago as part of her on-going journey around the country speaking with community stakeholders and entrepreneurs.
The roundtable discussion was held at the QBG Foundation building located at 806 E. 78th Street.
?An ombudsman serves as kind of a liaison between two points,? Vassar said during the meeting.? ?It also offers a service too, in this case small businesses and it has an element of community service.?? I managed throughout my life to work in community service throughout every job I occupied.?
The national ombudsman is familiar with the challenges small business owners face; she owned two small businesses over the course of a decade.
Vassar encouraged business owners to write down their concerns on a comment form so that she can find solutions to their questions and issues. The comment form is also located online at www.sba.gov/ombudsman.
Vassar is passionate about her job and wants small business owners to know that she is working on their behalf. ?In order to be accessible to the many entrepreneurs she meets, Vassar takes one of her assistants with her as she travels the country; not only to take notes but she also wants them to meet the business owners face to face.
?I look at my staff and say you all are the people who really handle the problems as they come in,? Vassar said.? ?In order to develop sensitivity to these problems I?m going to take one person from the staff with me everywhere I go.?
Vassar said her first year on the job she traveled alone but quickly found out she wasn?t able to engage with entrepreneurs and take notes at the same time.
?It?s very difficult to talk and take notes,? she said. ??It?s almost impossible. So I said no matter what, I?m going to make the budget work. So one person accompanies me everywhere I go. Not only for them to take notes but for them to see you. And they go back with a different sense of their job.?
Melinda Kelly, executive director of the CBA moderated the forum and thanked Vassar sharing the useful and vital advice with the CBA Membership.
William Garth, CEO of the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group and chairman of the CBA also thanked Vassar for meeting with local business owners.
?I just want to thank you for coming out and explaining to us how to deal with the governmental side of business.?
Coincidently, May 20-26 is National Small Business Week for more information visit www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com.
Source: sba.gov
By Thelma Sardin
Twitter: @thelmasardin
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