South Florida SBA District No. 2 in Nation

By increasing financial assistance to entrepreneurs by 92 percent in the first nine months of fiscal 2003, SBA's South Florida District has won the second-place ranking among 70 district offices in the country.

Small business owners in the region received more than $365 million via 2,173 SBA-backed loans and 235 micro-loans, the office said. The South Florida District Office, located in Miami, provides SBA financial, procurement and technical assistance to small business owners in the 24-county area south of Orlando.

"Small business owners are experiencing the true value of SBA programs and services," said Francisco A. "Pancho" Marrero, district director for SBA South Florida District.