[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 56 (Tuesday, April 23, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E518]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  RAYANNA ANDERSON AND THE SMALL BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT 
                                 CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILLY LONG

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 23, 2013

  Mr. LONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Rayanna 
Anderson for her service as Director of the Small Business and 
Technology Development Center, SBTDC, at Missouri State University.
  Throughout her tenure as the SBTDC director at Missouri State 
University, Rayanna and her staff have consulted with over 605 small 
businesses and helped business owners obtain over $54 million in 
financing and investments. Their efforts towards helping small 
businesses have had a profound economic impact for Southwest Missouri. 
In 2009 alone, the SBTDC helped 170 local small businesses retain or 
create over 1,500 jobs while boosting sales by over $21 million.
  To recognize these achievements, the U.S. Small Business 
Administration recently awarded the SBTDC at Missouri State University 
its Region VII Small Business Development Center Excellence and 
Innovation Award, an honor that this center certainly merits.
  SBTDC programs fulfill a vital role in our economy by fostering small 
business growth, which provides most jobs in America. The start-up and 
growth of small businesses is a crucial component of our economy's 
success because roughly 60 percent of all jobs in America are provided 
by small businesses. They are also a key source of innovation and 
creation, measures that further enhance economic growth. For people who 
are new to business, assistance with funding or receiving sound advice 
can be invaluable in making a business succeed.
  The SBTDC at Missouri State University plays an important role for 
Southwest Missouri businesses, and Rayanna Anderson's leadership has 
been outstanding. I am proud of her, her staff, and of the center's 
accomplishments, and I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing her 
for her outstanding efforts.

                          ____________________