Entrepreneurship for All Northwest Arkansas, SBA Form Alliance

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Entrepreneurship for All Northwest Arkansas and the Small Business Administration officially formed a strategic alliance last week to improve small business opportunities in the state and strengthen and expand small business development throughout the region.

The alliance was publicly recognized Wednesday with a ceremony and signing of a Strategic Alliance Memorandum at the EforAll Headquarters in Rogers. What the two organizations agreed to do is connect small business concerns to SBA programs.

Rodrigo Salas, EforAll’s executive director, said in a news release that the SBA offers many tools and resources but many minority business owners aren’t aware of them. This agreement will ensure more of them are aware, he said.

EforAll’s programs aim to promote economic and social impact through inclusive entrepreneurship. One such program is its accelerator, EparaTodos, which is English- and Spanish-language based. In addition, the organization works with Latinx, Marshallese, African American, Hmong, Native American, women and other minority entrepreneurs in northwest Arkansas.

Edward Haddock SBA’s state director said in the release that the agreement comes as the region’s Hispanic population has reached 17%. He also said the organizations have a “common mission: helping start, maintain, and expand small diverse businesses.”