Washington, U.S.A. – Wisconsin residents and businesses affected by severe storms and flooding on June 19 – 20 can apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills announced on July 27, 2012.

Administrator Mills made the loans available in response to a letter from Gov. Scott Walker on
July 19, requesting a disaster declaration by the SBA. The declaration covers Douglas County and the adjacent counties of Bayfield, Burnett, Sawyer and Washburn in Wisconsin and Carlton, Pine and Saint Louis in Minnesota.

“The SBA is strongly committed to providing the people of Wisconsin with the most effective and customer-focused response possible to assist homeowners, renters, and businesses of all sizes with federal disaster loans,” said Administrator Mills. “Getting businesses and communities up and running after a disaster is our highest priority at SBA.”

“Loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta. SBA’s customer service representatives are on hand at the Disaster Loan Outreach Center to answer questions about the disaster loan program, explain the process, issue and help individuals complete their applications.

Businesses and non-profit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets,” said Eric Ness, SBA’s Wisconsin district director.

The SBA may increase a loan up to 20 percent of the total amount of disaster damage to real estate and/or leasehold improvements, as verified by SBA, to make improvements that lessen the risk of property damage by future disasters of the same kind.

For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small aquaculture businesses and most private nonprofit organizations of all sizes, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.

Interest rates are as low as 1.938 percent for homeowners and renters, 3 percent for non-profit organizations and 4 percent for businesses with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is September 25, 2012. The deadline to return economic injury applications is April 29, 2013.

For more information about the SBA’s Disaster Loan Program, visit our website at www.sba.gov.

Image Courtesy of  Gary Paul Lewis / Shutterstock.com

The article $2 Million Disaster Assistance Available to Wisconsin Residents appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Chain stores dominate the retail industry, from grocery stores to department stores, to the global Wal-Mart Industry. At a glance, these appear convenient because of their low prices and availability, but there are several reasons you should support small businesses instead of these corporate ventures.

1. Better Customer Service

In a survey sponsored by WebVisible, 83% of people preferred small businesses. The top reason was because the service is more personal. Small businesses are community-based: they function entirely within the space they are located. The employees are much friendlier, to the point that they know customers by name.

The same WebVisible survey reports that many customers like having direct access to the decision maker in the event of a problem. For example, small business owners are more likely to do a favor for these customers, such as ordering a specific item that the customer has trouble finding. They are more understanding about price disputes and similar issues. The employees are hired based on knowledge and skill. They are trained to better serve the customers based on specific needs, and will actually know the details of their job.

2. Better opportunities for Employees

Small employers are the top employer in the U.S. According to the U.S. Business Administration, about half of all workers, 52% in total, are employed in a small business. New jobs and titles often spring up from small businesses. Employees are also more likely to stay employed. Mass layoffs have only occurred within big businesses and chain stores: 119,463 people lost their jobs from large businesses in February.

Employees are often guaranteed hours and wages, and are likely to have a voice, a say in how the store changes, and an opinion in the expectations for those sharing their job title. In this way employees feel more included, instead of simply being a worker bee. Small employers are more likely to hire minority employees because of their level of skill, not just to fill state-mandated minority requirements.

3. Economic Opportunities for the Community

Small businesses put the money they earn back into the community where they live and work. Corporations are more likely to pump their money elsewhere, like ad campaigns for political parties that support big business ideals. Furthermore, small businesses present a price competition for big businesses. One company cannot monopolize the entire market of an item if other small companies are around to sell them for less.

For example, more cell phone providers drove down the price of cell phones to break down the monopoly set up by AT&T early on. Finally, small business is based on the idea of entrepreneurship, people who organize and operate business ventures. Small business owners are much more likely to develop or create new products, or hire employees that are encouraged to do so. The Microsoft Company started out as a small business. So did Federal Express, Nike, America Online, and Ben & Jerry’s.

These are only a few of the reasons to support small business. Keeping these stores from drowning under chain stores can benefit everyone.

The article Three Reasons to Support Small Businesses appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.