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closeGoings taking on a new, regional challenge
South Hill native Calvin Goings goes to work for the United States Small Business Administration
Neil Pierson/of The Herald
Calvin Goings believes small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy, which made the chance to work in the upper echelon of small business advocacy too good to pass up.
A South Hill native who spent nearly two decades as an elected official, Goings began a new career phase three weeks ago when he became the Region X director for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
Goings was a regional political fixture dating back to 1991, when he was elected as an 18-year-old commissioner for Pierce County Fire District No. 6. He went on to serve six years in the state Senate and eight years on the Pierce County Council. After losing a bid to become county executive in 2008, he moved into the private sector as a senior policy adviser with the Washington Credit Union League.
In between chats with small business leaders and managing about 60 employees in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska, Goings took time to answer several questions last week.
Why did this job interest you and how much prior knowledge did you have about the Small Business Administration? The varying roles the SBA plays with small businesses is what I knew the most about. My grandfather and stepmother were both small business owners in Puyallup. Having worked in public policy and private sector jobs, I always understood the key role that small business plays in economic development. When members of our state’s Congressional delegation asked me to apply for the job, I was excited because it related to my past experiences.
What groups or people in Pierce County are you working with to encourage small-business growth? I have been meeting with recipients of SBA programs and working with banks and credit unions who provide SBA loans. The bottom line is to improve access to capital so businesses can hire more employees and create more jobs. I’ve only been on the job three weeks, so I haven’t delved deeply into Pierce County yet. But my top priorities are to increase the knowledge and understanding of SBA’s programs, increase the number of banks and credit unions that are authorized SBA lenders and increase the number of minorities who benefit from the SBA.
What did you take away from your time with the Washington Credit Union League? During my days in the state legislature, I worked part time for the league and ran their statewide non-profit organization. I always had a passion for that type of work. What I took from it was the same thing I took from my family: Small business owners get up, go to work and try to make ends meet. They’re just looking for someone to help level the playing field. We have to provide them better access to credit, then get out of their way and let them do their job.
What is the vision you see from Obama and Mills in using small businesses to revive the economy? It is a humbling experience having the White House ask me to take this role. Being the Obama Administration’s point person is a huge honor but it’s also a huge task. I know for a fact that in this year’s State of the Union address, the nation heard the president’s commitment to small-business issues. In our country, about half of the current workforce is employed by small businesses. We all realize that for our country to move forward, we have to focus on small businesses.
What do you see as the major issues facing small businesses in Washington? Across the region and in Washington in particular, liquidity is an issue. Business owners can’t purchase items, refurbish a building or bring on new employees if they’re having trouble finding a lender. The more lenders that are available through the SBA, the easier it will be to put people back to work. That’s probably what I hear about most day in and day out. A lot of this job is about relationships and connections. I hope and trust I’ve got the right set of skills to do that.