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As a former athlete, I learned that competition requires preparation, discipline, and resilience. Those lessons have carried with me throughout my career in business and public service -- and they are lessons small-business owners live every day.
Across the Mid-Atlantic, entrepreneurs compete for customers, contracts, capital, talent, and new markets. Too often, however, capable small businesses miss opportunities not because they lack a strong product or service, but because they lack access to the right information, relationships, or decision-makers.
Since my appointment by the Trump Administration in March 2025, I have focused on ensuring that small businesses and entrepreneurs across the Mid-Atlantic know about practical opportunities to grow, compete, and succeed. The U.S. Small Business Administration is here to help firms strengthen their supply chains, access capital, develop their workforce, pursue contracts, and enter larger markets.
In many ways, I view my role as that of a professional matchmaker. Beyond connecting entrepreneurs to SBA products and services, our goal is to build direct bridges across federal, state, regional, and local resources. This fosters vital relationships within the business community itself.
Under the leadership of SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, the SBA is taking an active, business-focused approach to supporting America's entrepreneurs. In more than 35 years of professional experience, I have never seen the agency more committed to listening to small businesses and responding with meaningful resources. It is a new day at the SBA--one that supports Made in America, stronger domestic supply chains, and the growth of American enterprise.
Operating as "One SBA," the agency's seven Mid-Atlantic District Offices have hosted a hybrid training series since July 8 to help businesses prepare for supplier matchmaking. The sessions have focused on the fundamentals that help firms compete: developing a strong capability statement, understanding the market, delivering an effective pitch, and pursuing business-development opportunities.
That preparation leads to an important opportunity today: the SBA's Matchmaker Expo in Washington, D.C., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Expo will bring small suppliers together with large corporate buyers, federal agencies, and business-resource partners. For many entrepreneurs, access to those larger markets can be difficult to secure on their own. Matchmaker events help open doors by putting capable small businesses in the same room as potential customers and decision-makers.
I have seen firsthand at previous matchmaking events how valuable these conversations can be. A good product or service is essential, but business growth also depends on relationships--the opportunity to explain what a company can deliver and show that it is ready to perform.
Small businesses remain central to America's economic strength. By helping entrepreneurs build relationships, access capital, strengthen supply chains, and compete for new business, the SBA is helping build a stronger and more resilient Made-in-America economy.
Jim Spencer, Small Business Administration Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator, serving Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.