Office of the Texas Governor Greg Abbott

Office of Governor Greg Abbott: Small Business News

Office of the Governor Texas sent this bulletin at 12/05/2016 09:00 AM CST

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Welcome to the e-newsletter from the Texas Governor’s Office of Small Business Assistance (OSBA). The Office works to establish the State of Texas as the premier place to start, grow and sustain a business. Thank you for your part in making Texas the best place to do business.

Governor Abbott Promotes Small Business in Texas

Governor Abbott discussed what makes Texas the best place to start and grow a business in a series of op-eds that ran throughout the state on Small Business Saturday. In the op-eds, Gov. Abbott highlighted several small businesses that have taken advantage of Texas' favorable regulatory environment, access to capital and world-class workforce to grow their enterprises.

To read the op-eds, click on the links below.

The Office of the Governor also released a web video highlighting three small businesses in Texas that have benefitted from the Lone Star State’s business-friendly climate and skilled workforce to build their companies and create jobs for Texans.

Watch Video

Office of Small Business Assistance Partners with UTSA to Conduct Statewide Small Business Survey

The Office of the Governor in partnership with the University of Texas at San Antonio is conducting research to better understand Texas small businesses’ needs and barriers to growth. The survey results will be used to provide recommendations to our Office to better serve the Texas business community.

For more information about the benefits and goals of the survey, please contact Brad Napp at Brad.Napp@gov.texas.gov.

Take Survey

State of Texas Awarded Funding to Boost Export Opportunities for Small Businesses

Small businesses across Texas will have access to funding to help them enter and compete in the global marketplace. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently awarded a grant to the State of Texas from the agency’s State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) program.

The Office of the Governor in partnership with the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) will utilize the funding to expand export-related activities of small businesses.

Through the STEP program, the Governor’s Office of Small Business Assistance will host Texas companies at industry leading trade shows. Some of the state- organized trade shows include:

Hannover Messe, Germany, April 24-28
Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), May 1-4
Automechanika, Mexico City, June 14-16
Paris Air Show, Paris, June 19-25
BIO, San Diego, June 19-22
Medica, Dusseldorf, November 13-16

More details on all of our 2017 trade shows will be available in the coming weeks.

Team Spotlight: Janie Havel, Community Relations Representative

This edition’s team spotlight falls on Janie Havel, Governor's Office Community Relations Representative for the North/Northeast Texas Region. As a member of the Community Relations division in the Business Assistance Department, Janie serves as the liaison between the Governor's Office and the cities and counties in her region that includes 48 counties from Northwest and North Central Texas to the Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma borders.

Janie came to the position with extensive experience throughout the region. Before joining the Governor's Office in 2006, she served the region as a representative for the Comptroller's office, working in community outreach and with economic development sales tax statutes.

A native of Cincinnati, Janie is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She and her husband Pete live in Dallas with their 13 year-old daughter Reagan.

Final Forum in 2016 - Williamson County

We are thrilled to share that our final Governor’s Small Business Forum of 2016 took place this past Thursday, December 1 in Williamson County, and was a huge success.

Hosted in partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission, and the Williamson County Economic Development Partnership, the forum included distinguished speakers' Texas Secretary of State Carlos Cascos and Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Andres Alcantar.

This concludes our Governor's Small Business Forums series for 2016. Thank you to all of our community partners for making this year such a momentous one for Texas small businesses.

- El Paso, April
- Washington County, June
- Waco, June
- Corpus Christi, August
- San Marcos,September
- San Antonio, September
- San Angelo, October
- Brownsville, October
- Lufkin, November

Look for our 2017 events calendar in early spring.

#TXSmallBiz Day at the Capitol 2017

National Federation of Independent Business - Texas(NFIB), the state's leading small business association, brings together entrepreneurs, small business owners, and policymakers each Legislative Session to discuss issues impacting small business.

Save the date for the next Small Business Day at the Capitol on February 13-14, 2017.