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Small Business Transportation Resource Center
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Welcome to the Small Business Transportation Resource Center,
Southwest Region (SBTRC-SW)WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU?
The SBTRC-SW helps to prepare small businesses in Arizona, California, Hawaii,
Nevada and Utah so that they have an equal opportunity to participate in U.S. Department
of Transportation (USDOT) funded contracts at the local, state and federal levels. To help
these businesses, SBTRC draws upon a variety of resources for business assessment,
technical assistance, business training, one-on-one counseling, conference participation
and outreach.
For more information on USDOT/OSDBU and the Small Business
Transportation Resource Centers, please visit website at http://www.osdbu.dot.govSBTRC-SW Region Staff:
Susan Au Allen, Chief Executive Officer (through USPAACC-EF)
Tom Trent, SBTRC-SW Executive Director
Carrolyn Kubota, SBTRC-SW Project Director
The SBTRC-SW serves the southwest region of the United States (California, Arizona,
Nevada, Utah and Hawaii) by:
- Reaching out to transportation-related small businesses in the region;
- Providing business training, technical assistance, marketing assistance, and
information related to transportation business opportunities to small businesses;
and- Providing financial assistance information through the Short Term Lending
Program (STLP) participating banks and other lending institutions.Working with disadvantaged and small businesses, the SBTRC-SW has disseminated
information about upcoming seminars on future transportation work and workshops,
spoken one-on-one with businesses at matchmakers, helped small businesses network
with prime contractors and subcontractors.The center is drawing upon free or low cost resources of transportation and technical
assistance agencies such as:
- state DOT supportive services;
- U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Centers
(MBDCs);- Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs);
- Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs);
- Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and other programs.
Currently, SBTRC-SW is located inside San Francisco’s Renaissance Entrepreneurship
Center (http://rencenter.org/home.htm), which is an incubator, classroom and counseling
center for small businesses. SBTRC-SW is administered by the U.S. Pan Asian American
Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation ( www.uspaacc.com), a Washington D.C.-
based organization.Nine SBTRC regions are woven into established community-based organizations like
business development centers, trade associations, universities, community colleges or
chambers of commerce. These entities have at least one year of experience in working
with small businesses.In November 2007, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Office of Small and
Disadvantaged Business Utilization’s (OSDBU) then-Director Denise Rodriguez-Lopez entered
into a Cooperative Agreement with USPAACC-EF CEO Susan Au Allen to set up the
SBTRC-SW and provide valuable services to the Southwest Region.The mission of OSDBU at DOT is to ensure that the policies and goals of U.S.
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood are implemented in a fair, efficient and effective
manner to serve small and disadvantaged businesses throughout the nation by providing
opportunities, technical assistance and financial services. In addition, OSDBU develops and
administers programs to encourage, stimulate, promote and assist small businesses to become
better prepared to compete for, obtain and manage transportation-related contracts and
subcontracts.The USDOT’s mission is to serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient,
accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and
enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future.ABOUT USPAACC-EF
The U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation
(USPAACC-EF), the recipient of the USDOT grant funding for the SBTRC-SW, was
founded in 1984. Through seven regional chapters around the country, it is dedicated
to be a voice and supporter for Asian American entrepreneurs.One of USPAACC-EF’s major goals is to provide procurement advocacy, counseling,
training, match-making, and business opportunity through the SBTRC-SW Planning
Committee of southwest region representatives familiar with the transportation industry,
stakeholders and federal, state and local agencies. The committee will meet monthly and
provide a forum for federal, state, and local agencies to disseminate information about the
region’s upcoming procurement opportunities. These opportunities will be matched with
eligible small businesses.USPAACC-EF opens doors and assists in finding contract opportunities for its members
and other entrepreneurs by organizing:
- Roundtable to disseminate procurement and marketing advocacy
information to the region’s small businesses; and- Partnerships with public entities to provide procurement information for small
business to market.For more about USPAACC-EF, please visit: www.uspaacc.com.
