Beto Yarce viewed his recent visit to the Tri-Cities as something of a focus group.
The presidential appointee, a regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, or SBA, has been making trips to communities within his vast territory since he was appointed in January.
“(We’re) seeing the community, collecting information, saying hello and making sure they feel heard,” he said. “(Our goal is) creating a stronger ecosystem. How are we helping and supporting them to thrive in their businesses?”
Boots on the ground
Yarce is the SBA’s Region 10 administrator, covering Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. He visited the Tri-Cities toward the end of May, along with Melanie Norton, the newly-appointed director of the SBA’s Seattle District, which includes most of Washington and northern Idaho; and Joel Nania, manager of the SBA’s Spokane branch.
They met with Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce leaders, attended a Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce luncheon, where Yarce spoke, and made other stops.
“It’s a nice way for us to kind of get boots on the ground, connect with the local ecosystem and talk about ways we can support, grow, collaborate and make sure we’re doing all we can to support entrepreneurial growth,” Norton said during the visit.
They hoped to spread the word about the SBA, which works to support and empower entrepreneurs and small businesses. It offers loans, resources and other services.
Among the discussion points with local leaders was a possible microloan program here.
The trio also wanted to celebrate the country’s “business boom.”
In Washington, there were 97,000 new business starts in 2023; nationally, there were 5.5 million new business applications, a record. In all, nearly 17 million new business applications have been filed during the Biden Administration.
“The Tri-Cities has been part of that business boom. It’s one of those places that is booming in small business development,” Yarce said.
Background in small business
He brings years of small business experience to his role with SBA.
He’s originally from Mexico and moved to Seattle in 2003, launching a small business. He eventually took the helm of Ventures, a Seattle-based nonprofit that helps aspiring entrepreneurs with limited resources. It offers training, coaching and capital.
In his new role, Yarce said he enjoys hearing stories from people in the small business community and discussing their needs.
“Some of the (common themes) are, how do we meet people where they are, how can the SBA help underserved communities, how can my region really have an impact on that,” he said, noting the region long has cared about equity in business. That’s something he’ll continue to work for, he said.
In his eyes, small business is the backbone of the economy.
Norton and Nania agreed.
“Two out of every three net new jobs are created by small businesses. Small businesses account for approximately half of all economic activity. The data demonstrates and shows how much we rely on small businesses to drive and grow our economy,” Norton said.
At the same time, “they’re also the heart of our community,” she added. “They’re the ones sponsoring the Little League T shirts, they’re the ones looking out for their employees. They’re the real pillars of the community. To be able to play a role in empowering these very inspiring and innovative business leaders is, frankly, one of the greatest honors and privileges that you can have.”
Nania said he loves helping businesses at every level succeed, from startups to established operations.
“The main focus that I have is helping to improve their odds of success. It’s hard to start a small business. It takes a lot of hard work and sometimes (new businesses) need somebody to talk to who’s been through it,” he said. “Improving their opportunities to succeed going forward is really important to improving that success rate.”
Yarce said a major driver of his life has been to work toward alleviating poverty by empowering people to start their own businesses.
“That’s what brings me to do this job. For me, it’s a privilege and a very humble honor. I love my job. It’s a dream job,” he said. “I hope my community can feel represented and inspired by the work that I’m doing.”
Go to: sba.gov/district/seattle.