WASHINGTON – United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Mary Landrieu, D-La., today announced that the Committee will host an outreach conference in Baton Rouge, La., on Friday, May 15, for small business owners looking to utilize federal and state small business assistance programs. The Committee will work with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Louisiana Economic Development (LED) to provide brief overviews of SBA lending programs, federal contracting opportunities, LED’s Small and Emerging Business Development Program and other programs to help small businesses maintain and grow their businesses in this tough economic climate.

Officials from the SBA, LED and Louisiana Small Business Development Centers will join Sen. Landrieu’s staff, which includes Staff Director and Chief Legal Counsel Donald Cravins, Jr., a former State Senator from Louisiana, to discuss top concerns for entrepreneurs. The Committee held several similar outreach conferences in Lafayette, Lake Charles and Shreveport, La., and plans to hold additional outreach conferences throughout the state in the coming months.

“We’ve received very positive feedback from entrepreneurs throughout the state who have attended recent Small Business Committee outreach conferences,” Sen. Landrieu said. “These events have helped Louisianians learn how to get SBA-backed loans, secure federal contracts and create new jobs for Louisiana’s workers. I look forward to another successful outreach conference in Baton Rouge to help our local small business owners manage a business that will add new jobs for the state and help get our economy back on track.”

The details for the Baton Rouge Small Business Outreach Conference are as follows:

Friday, May 15, 2009
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Baton Rouge River Center
275 South River Road Baton Rouge, La.