Small Business Administration leader visits Arlington furniture company on DFW stop
The U.S. Small Business Administration visited Arlington on Friday to tour local company Paragon Furniture with CEO Ricky Kassanoff and Arlington Mayor Jim Ross.
Isabella Guzman, head of the SBA and a member of President Joe Biden’s cabinet, told Kassanoff during the tour that the way his company survived the pandemic was impressive. He thanked her and the SBA for the Paycheck Protection Program loans available to his small company and said that was part of the reason they survived.
Guzman visited the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex on Friday to meet with small business owners and discuss ways the SBA can help them through recovery from COVID-19’s business impacts. It was Guzman’s first official visit to the area.
Ross said the visit to Paragon Furniture, which designs, manufactures and ships school furniture internationally, gave Kassanoff and the city a chance to highlight how the loans, advice and networking opportunities the SBA provides have had positive impacts on business in Arlington.
That has been especially important for Paragon Furniture, Kassanoff said, as there was a dip in orders when schools were online-only due to the pandemic. The loans helped the business survive, and the networking and advice the administration offers to small businesses has helped Paragon Furniture as it looks to expand its export business.
Guzman said her administration is committed to continuing working with small business owners and looking for more ways to support them as they recover from the economic effects of the pandemic.
This story was originally published February 11, 2022 at 5:22 PM.