Welcome, Mark Quinn!
CAMEO is excited to announce that Mark Quinn has joined us as Senior Advisor! (Mark pictured with Claudia in July 2017 at the SBA San Francisco Office)
Mark has worked with CAMEO and CAMEO members extensively during his 40 year federal career. As the District Director for the SBA in San Francisco, he has supported the SBA funding and advocacy to the network of microlenders and SBA resource partners that make up the majority of CAMEO member organizations. Mark will be working with CAMEO on a two year assignment from SBA to continue that support for microbusinesses and independent entrepreneurs and to increase the access to SBA programs for CAMEO members and their clients. We will be giving more details on what projects he’ll be working on after the first of the year – but he’s already been hard at work (see next section).
Congratulations as well to Julie Clowes, who will be the new director of the SBA’s San Francisco District Office. We look forward to working with her!
CAMEO Helps Microbusiness in Northern California
Mark Quinn was working with the SBA Office of Disaster Assistance in Houston in the recovery efforts for Hurricane Harvey when the Northern California fires happened. His work in Houston was near an end and home called. For the past several weeks Mark has been working in NoCal to support CAMEO member organizations in delivering disaster-related services and doing outreach to non-member organizations to connect them with small businesses resources in the CAMEO network. Of particular importance is explaining SBA’s Disaster Business program features. Many microbusinesses and non-profits are unaware that SBA Disaster programs provide both physical disaster loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). EIDL loans assist those firms where they did not experience damage to the business property but incurred loss to their business revenues. Businesses like caterers where events were cancelled or landscape firms where they’ve lost customers can apply for an EIDL for working capital to bridge their financial loss until revenues rebound. Mark has met many microbusinesses that have been affected and is connecting those that are eligible to SBA loans. But many of these small businesses are not eligible for SBA loans for one reason or another; Mark is connecting them to CAMEO resources. For example, a lot of construction-related businesses will pop up over the next few months that may need business coaching and loans, like the heavy equipment operator whose employer burnt down and wants to start his own business. Some of Mark’s activities include: connecting CAMEO organizations to SBA/FEMA to provide staff briefings on programs, providing direct one-on-one assistance for CAMEO member clients needing guidance on their program eligibility, conducting town halls and participating in resource event. He’s working with our Northern California members – Napa/Sonoma Small Business Development Center, WEST Company, Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County, Community Development Services, EDFC Mendocino County, Working Solutions and Opportunity Fund. If other members are working on disaster assistance for businesses, please let us know so that we can send Mark your way. CAMEO is honored to support its members in these unique circumstance and to provide them and their clients with resources that otherwise may not be readily available. For those clients that CAMEO members have invested significant assistance to help them start and grow, this effort will help ensure that those clients impacted by disaster receive priority in navigating recovery assistance to continue to thrive. Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees lists other organizations and funds that are rebuilding Northern California:- FEMA Application for Disaster Relief
- California Assistance and Services for Disaster Recovery
- Benefits.gov Disaster Relief Resource