On Friday, Rep. Pete Aguilar highlighted small businesses in the Inland Empire alongside Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabel Guzman.

Rep. Aguilar and Administrator Guzman then hosted a roundtable, where they heard directly from local small business owners about how President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has helped them.

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, small business owners filed over 17 million new small business applications, including 1.7 million applications from California.

“Small businesses are the heart and soul of the Inland Empire,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar. “It is one of my top priorities to ensure that every small business owner in our community has the resources they need to succeed. I am thankful that Administrator Guzman and the Biden-Harris Administration have placed a strong emphasis on supporting small businesses and have helped owners cut through red tape and expand their businesses.”

“California is enjoying a historic Small Business Boom, with ten percent of the more than 17 million new business applications filed under this Administration coming from the Golden State alone,” said SBA Administrator Guzman. “The Inland Empire in particular is home to a thriving small business ecosystem. I was glad to join Congressman Aguilar to hear from some of these entrepreneurs and help ensure SBA is well-positioned to support constituents in the Inland Empire as they start, grow and build resilient businesses.”

Last year, Rep. Pete Aguilar introduced a package of bills to help minority- and women-owned businesses compete for contracts to develop and build federal infrastructure projects.

Photos and videos of the event can be found here.

Rep. Aguilar serves as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as a member of the House Committee on Appropriations.