WASHINGTON– U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan M. Collins are honored to congratulate Sandford (Sandy) Blitz on his recent appointment as the next Region I Administrator (New England) for the US Small Business Administration. Senators Snowe and Collins, who had nominated Sandy Blitz earlier this summer, are pleased that President Bush selected him for this critical position. In his new role, Mr. Blitz, of Hudson, Maine, will be responsible for the overall operations of the SBA in New England, including, oversight of the SBA’s financing, marketing, and outreach efforts.

“We are pleased that President Bush has appointed Mr. Blitz to be the SBA’s next Region I Administrator,” said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. “Sandy is a dedicated professional and respected leader with extensive government and business experience. We are confident that in his capacity as Region 1 Administrator he will greatly assist small businesses to expand and create jobs in Maine and throughout New England.”

Senator Snowe is the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, which has oversight jurisdiction over the SBA. Senator Collins served as the Region I Administrator of the SBA from 1992 to 1993.

Mr. Blitz currently owns and manages Emesbee Associates, a consulting firm that assists public and private institutions to receive government grants and loans, as well as to devise economic development strategies. He is also the Executive Director of the East-West Highway Association and Executive Manager of the Bangor Target Area Development Corporation. In addition, Mr. Blitz serves as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Maine’s Department of Public Administration

Prior to launching his consulting firm, Mr. Blitz served as an Economic Development Representative for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) from 1983 to 1996. Mr. Blitz also worked in several capacities at the U.S. General Services Administration between 1975 and 1983. Between 1971 and 1975, Mr. Blitz was Executive Assistant to Mayor Nicholas Panuzio in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Mr. Blitz earned a BBA from the Bernard M. Baruch School of Public and Business Administration at the City College of New York. He subsequently received a MPA from the University of Maine Graduate School.

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