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SOTU and Why You Need CAMEO!

Save June 17, 2014 for the 20th Anniversary celebration in Sacramento!

  • State of the Union
  • Member Kudos
  • The Goodies – This week’s highlight is the effort to ensure Maria Sweet-Contreras receives a quick confirmation as head of the SBA.

State of the Union

“Let’s do more to help the entrepreneurs and small business owners who create most new jobs in America.” –President Barack Obama, State of the Union address, January 28, 2014

That’s what the president said, but the ‘do more’ – minimum wage increases, helping businesses export, tax credits for hiring – is all fine and good, but we hope President Obama will go further. As AEO said in their statement on the SOTU…

We are hopeful, however, that the President and his Administration will move beyond the outdated model of employment and realize that today millions of Americans are creating jobs for themselves.

The President also called for a review of the nation’s job training programs. CAMEO has long been advocating for job training centers to be allowed to count self-employment as a successful employment outcome. We along with AEO will continue to urge the Administration and Congress to address this shortcoming so that entrepreneurial training can be offered at no extra cost. CAMEO will join AEO to investigate the possibility of making this change by Executive Order. Such a change would open up new funding resources for training and business assistance.

Other SOTU resources:

CAMEO is here to make sure that your voice is heard in Washington and Sacramento. Our efforts have saved and sustained programs that were on the chopping block. We will continue to advocate for funding for rural, returning veterans, micro business assistance and capital access in our low and moderate income communities.

Join or renew your membership to our dynamic network of organizations and individuals. Together, we build businesses that create local jobs and grow California’s economy through Micro-business development. If you are not the head of your organization, make sure you pass on this message so that you and your organization don’t lose out on any of the member benefits CAMEO offers. Our membership drive is wrapping up!

Member Kudos

Lots of great stuff to report this week:


Congratulations to the four (out of twelve) CAMEO members who were named 2014 fellows of FIELD’s ELM2, Emerging Leaders in Microbusiness Squared Program. (Photo: fellows at Opportunity Fund’s San Jose office.)

  • Anthony Chang, Executive Director, Kitchen Table Advisors, (Mountain View, CA)
  • Alex Dang, Business Development Officer, Opportunity Fund, (San Jose, CA)
  • Leticia Landa, Deputy Director, La Cocina (San Francisco, CA)
  • Brandon Napoli, Director of Microlending, Valley Economic Development Center, (Los Angeles, CA)

And big congrats to Accion San Diego, the fastest-growing office in terms of lending volume of the five Accion US Network offices with growth in portfolio, amount of loans and number of loans in the 20-30% range!

The Goodies

New opportunities for trainings, conference information, funding, scholarships, and other information that have crossed our desks since the last Must Know. I have posted a running tab of current Industry Goodies on the CAMEO website that lists items that were in past emails. Check it out to make sure you’re not missing anything, like grants whose deadlines are still alive!

AEO Conference: Registration is open for AEO’s Big Easy Takeover! Connect with hundreds of industry professionals who are committed to giving Main Street microbusinesses the resources they need! Help America’s 25.5 million microbusinesses unleash their power. The conference is May 5-7, 2014. An additional enticement is the New Orleans Jazz Fest happening right before the conference. The hotel will extend the discounted room rate if you come early…let’s show AEO that CAMEO members know how to party! CAMEO members are eligible for a $50 discount off the AEO nonmember rate and can access it by entering the code SMA2014 at registration.

SBA Head Nominee: President Obama nominated Maria Contreras-Sweet, the founder and board chairman of ProAmerica Bank in Los Angeles, to head the SBA. CAMEO is excited for her appointment as Ms. Contreras-Sweet spoke at our Viva! event in 2009 and is a founding board member of the Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce (formerly Latino Business Chamber of Greater LA), a CAMEO member. Join the US Hispanic Chamber and Small Business Majority in their effort to ensure she receives a quick confirmation as head of the SBA.

For Your Clients: CAMEO is co-sponsoring a Certification Course for Veterans and Service Disabled Veterans. It’s a two week class offered by CAMEO member Joe Molina. Participants who follow the daily action items in this course will be able to complete the initial submission of information required for receiving a VBE or DVBE Certification. It starts on the first Monday of each month. The next one starts on February 3, 2014. Your clients can use the CAMEO discount code “CAMEO12014” to receive a $120 discount off the $199 tuition fee (so it costs $79.)

Free Webinar: Opportunity Finance Network and the CDFI Fund host Strengthening Small and Emerging CDFIs. The program will provide training and technical assistance, including one-on-one assistance and mentored cohorts, for small and emerging CDFIs enabling them to increase their impact and improve their sustainability. Click on the link above to register or learn more about this webinar series on February 5, 2014.

Healthcare Webinars: The Small Business Administration and Small Business Majority are committed to helping businesses navigate the changes and opportunities in health care through the Affordable Care Act 101 webinar series. They take place every Thursday at 11:00 AM PT // 2:00 PM ET. The next one is February 6, 2014.

For Your Clients: Apply for the FedEx Small Business Grant Contest, and explain what separates their business from the rest. After entries are accepted, businesses can share your unique story and profile with their Facebook friends and Twitter followers to encourage them to vote. Your clients can win up to $25,000. The deadline to register is February 9, 2014.

2014 Los Angeles Economic Forecast Conference: With remarks by Mayor Eric Garcetti, the inaugural event of Forecast LA brings together Southern California thought leaders to help answer the most pressing economic and quality of life questions facing Los Angeles County and its nearly 10 million residents. The deets: February 25, 2014 from 8:00am-12:15pm at Loyola Marymount University. CAMEO members receive a $25 discount off their registration with the promotional code “cameo14”. Learn more about Forecast LA and register.

2014 CDFI Coalition Institute: The CDFI Coalition Institute also turns 20 this year. Attend this conference on March 5-6, 2014 at the Hotel Monaco in Washington, DC. Register asap to take advantage of the limited room block at the Hotel Monaco for a cost of $339 (2 nights, March 4th and 5th). The deadline for reserving a room in the block is February 4, 2014. Click on the link above for more information about registration and booking a hotel.

Industry Conference: What do you get when you mix 500 savvy social enterprisers, 3.5 days of top notch programming, the building momentum of a national movement, and the nation’s “it” city? Find out at Social Enterprise Alliance’s Summit 14 in Nashville on April 13-16, 2014. Build the social enterprise field, connect and strengthen skills. CAMEO’s network receives a 33% off discount with discount code CAMEO33. For more information click on the link above.

For Your Clients: The Sabor Latino Food Show is being held at the Pasadena Convention Center on May 13 and 14, 2014. It is “EL SHOW QUE VALE LA PENA!”. This is where business in the Latin Food community is conducted. They showcase products from all over the world and invite buyers from all over California.

Microfinance Fellowship: Lend for America has a fellowship program that trains students who are seeking to start microfinance organizations (“Campus MFIs”) at their respective college campuses. The Lend for America fellowship is designed as an incubator for Campus MFIs. Fellows receive a crash course in microfinance in North Carolina; a full-time paid summer internship with an existing microfinance group at one of three locations (North Carolina, New Jersey, or Rhode Island); and year-round support from Lend for America as they start their organizations on campus.