UTSA Small Business Development Center hosts roundtable with congressman

Top photo: Robert McKinley, (UTSA associate vice president for economic development), U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, San Antonio SBDC Director Morrison Woods and San Antonio SBDC Assistant Director Richard Sifuentes after the session.
Bottom photo: Small business roundtable discussion

By Rebecca Montalvo
Marketing Associate, Small Business Development Center

(Aug. 29, 2013) -- The UTSA Small Business Development Center (SBDC) recently hosted a small-business roundtable discussion featuring U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of the 20th Congressional District. The participants included 22 business owners representing 17 companies from industries such as manufacturing, health care, retail, restaurants and professional services.

The participants' companies are in the 20th Congressional District. The group also included UTSA President Ricardo Romo, Jude Valdez (UTSA vice president for community services), Robert McKinley (UTSA associate vice president for economic development) and Albert Salgado (director of the South-West Texas Border SBDC Network). Morrison Woods, director of the San Antonio SBDC, moderated the session.

The event was conducted during the congressional break in order for Castro to hear feedback from small-business owners. Their comments concerning the greatest opportunities for growth and the biggest obstacles to growth for their companies.

Among the many opportunities for growth mentioned by the participants were a guest worker program, the Eagle Ford Shale Play and the upward trends in sustainable development. Some of the obstacles to growth identified were the Affordable Care Act, the current federal budgeting process and sequestration, identifying appropriate market niches and cash flow.

Castro said he was appreciative of the business owners' willingness to share their concerns and indicated he would use his resources to resolve as many of their issues as possible in the near future.

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