By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — A city that has touted its friendliness to small businesses received a welcome visitor on Tuesday in the way of the regional administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Jeanne A. Hulit, appointed as the regional administrator for New England by President Obama this summer, visited Pawtucket with local SBA officials and John Gregory, president of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, as part of a two-day whirlwind tour of northern Rhode Island. Among her numerous stops was the Hope Artiste Village on Main Street, where several local business owners have received loans and other assistance from the federally run agency.
Mark S. Hayward, District Director for the U.S. Small Business Administration's Rhode Island Office, said that Hulit, with her background as a former vice president with Citizens Bank in Maine and a lender, already had a full understanding of the SBA and its services before assuming her post.
Hayward said that his office was pleased to be able to host Hulit on a visit through northern Rhode Island. He categorized her as “the policy person, who is answering to the people in Washington” on SBA matters that affect the six New England states. By taking her to some of the local companies that have benefited from SBA assistance, he said that Hulit is “seeing what impact we're having on the business community.”
Hulit said that part of her job as regional director is “trying to make sure people are aware of what support is out there. The SBA can help with many different services, including helping businesses to re-tool and restructure their debt,” she stated.

Hulit said that while the economy is down and unemployment is up, these conditions are also serving to prompt more people to start their own business. Losing a job makes some people realize that this might be the right time in their life to start a business venture that they had been thinking about. “It can be an opportunity for someone to pursue their passion, and the SBA can help,” Hulit stated.

In her various tours of the New England region, Hulit said that most of the business owners she met with are “generally optimistic” that the economy will turn around. She said she enjoys meeting with those who have been given “hope and inspiration” in some form by the SBA and its resources.

Gail Ahlers of Ahlers Designs was instrumental in bringing Hulit to the Hope Artiste Village. Besides Ahlers Design, the regional director met with the owners of New Harvest CoffeeRoasters, RhodeOne Technology Solutions, Charlie's Playhouse, and Rosinha's Restaurant, all tenants of the former mill complex.

In the custom giftware business for 20 years, Ahlers said it was only this year that she turned to the SBA for a loan in order to help her company to expand and move in a different marketing direction. 

As one of the hundreds of working artists in the state, Ahlers noted the importance of staying connected as a community and of sharing helpful information and resources. “To survive in this economy, you must run lean, be resourceful, and reach out to other organizations that can provide help,” she said. She noted that besides the SBA, there are numerous other places that can provide financial or other types of business and networking assistance, in Rhode Island as well as nationally. She spoke of the importance of networking with other companies, both locally, nationally, and internationally. “When you're trying to build your company and do business with other companies, it's great to have corporations that help you understand the culture and what's important to them,” she said.

The Rhode Island School of Design graduate said that she personally reaches out to help other small businesses, especially those owned by women and fellow artists. She is personally involved in the Center for Women & Enterprise, has certification from the Women's Business Enterprise National Council, and is on the advisory board for the Rhode Island Small Business Development Corporation. “As an artist running a business, I think it's important to be an advocate,” she said. Ahlers also credited Mayor James Doyle and his administration for helping the city to become a “strategic partner for arts-related businesses.”

Rick Norberg, president of RhodeOne Technology Solutions, said that he found the SBA to be “a good resource as we are taking our company to the next level.”  Founded in 2002, he said the company moved to Pawtucket from Cranston three years ago, and has found a successful niche as a business e-mail and collaboration provider.

Herb Weiss, Pawtucket's Economic and Cultural Affairs Officer, was also on hand to meet Hulit and accompany her on her tour of the Hope Artiste complex. Weiss said it was good to have Hulit come by and see firsthand how the SBA is helping small businesses. “And what better place to come than Pawtucket...a city of small businesses?,” he asked.

Weiss also noted that Gail Ahlers was one of the first tenants of the Hope Artiste Village and has always been involved in supporting her fellow business neighbors and establishing a sense of community within the mill complex.

Hayward noted that locally, $19 million is made available annually through the SBA Rhode Island District Office. Additionally, while a December deadline is looming for additional funding that was obtained through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009 for 7 (a) and 504 loan programs, Hayward noted that the Obama administration has pledged to take steps to ensure the continued recovery of small businesses and to ensure easy access to capital from government lending programs for small banks across the country.

“We want to do whatever we can to help keep small businesses afloat,” said Hayward.