(Buffalo, NY) The U.S. Small Business Administration Buffalo District Director, Franklin J. Sciortino, SBA Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center, Center Director, William E. Leggiero, Jr., Buffalo Federal Executive Board, Federal Occupational Health, GSA Property Management Division-Buffalo Field Office, New York Business Development Corporation, Erie County Industrial Development Agency, SCORE Buffalo Niagara Chapter 45, US Environmental Protection Agency Region II, Veterans Administration and Railroad Retirement Board signed a Statement of Support for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) with ESGR New York State Committee Chairman, Major General Thomas W. Sabo, USA, Ret. on September 30, 2008. The signing ceremony occurred at the Niagara Center, Room 423 A/B, 130 South Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, New York at 10:00 am.   

The Statement of Support confirms that the SBA Buffalo District Office joins other employers in pledging that:

• They fully recognize, honor and enforce the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment Rights Act (USERRA). 
• The managers and supervisors will have the tools they need to effectively manage those employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.
• They will continually recognize and support our country’s service members and their families in peace, in crises and in war.

“The SBA supports our state’s veterans and service members,” said SBA DD, Franklin J. Sciortino “Signing this Statement of Support for Guard and Reserve employees sets an example of how the agency values its own employees currently serving our nation in military activations and deployments.”  “We greatly appreciate the sacrifice made by the men and women of our Armed Forces and understand the importance of supporting them to the fullest extent possible.”

The SBA has a mission to help small businesses start, grow and succeed. The SBA recognizes that the military community plays a vital role in the country’s small business engine, and actively seeks to meet the needs of these unique entrepreneurs with counseling, training, financing, contracting assistance and economic injury disaster recovery.

“We are proud of our employees who make the extraordinary commitment to serve in the Guard and Reserve,” said SBA DACSC, Center Director, William E. Leggiero, Jr. “And when they are deployed, it is important that they know SBA salutes their service to our nation, and assures them that we have “Entrepreneurship” covered with everything from counseling and training to loans, contracting and disaster recovery.”

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972. The mission of ESGR is to gain and maintain employer support for Guard and Reserve service by recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of the law, and resolving conflicts through mediation. ESGR volunteers provide free education, consultation, and if necessary mediation for employers of Guard and Reserve employees.

“Buffalo’s Reserve and Guard members deserve the support of every segment of our society” said ESGR New York State Committee Chairman Major General Thomas W. Sabo, USA Retired.  “In the highest American tradition, the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve serve voluntarily in an honorable and vital profession.  “With half of the nation’s military strength in the National Guard and Reserve, the support of SBA and other employers is vital to our national security”

As the 1.3 million members of the National Guard and Reserve continue to perform an increasing number of unique missions that require extraordinary actions on the part of everyday citizens, ESGR will continue to be the informational agency for the employers of citizen warriors. More information about ESGR Employer Outreach Programs and volunteer opportunities is available at www.esgr.mil.

“I am proud that today, our Buffalo District Office and Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center have signed a Statement of Support with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.  There is a wealth of knowledge and expertise available at the SBA.   I hope by partnering together, we can help entrepreneurs utilize services and programs from both our organizations” said, Region II Regional Administrator, Michael Pappas.

SBA’s newest loan program Patriot Express is specifically designed to help the extended military community achieve their entrepreneurial dreams. Reservists and Guard members are among those eligible for the loan program which features SBA’s lowest interest rates for business loans, which range from 2.25 to 4.75 percent over prime, SBA’s guaranty of 75-85% depending on the size of the loan, and the fastest turnaround time for loan approvals. The Buffalo District Office has guaranteed over $2.9 million in Patriot Express loans to 26 veterans since the program launched in June 2007. More information on the Patriot Express loan program is available at http://www.sba.gov/patriotexpress/index.html.

Another loan program that is designed for Reservists is the Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (MREIDL). Loans of up to $1.5 million are available for small businesses sustaining economic injury because an owner or essential employee has been called up to active duty as a military reservist. The maximum loan interest rate is 4%. Since the program’s inception, over 300 loans worth $27 million have helped small businesses across the nation survive the call to duty of reservists. Fourteen loans worth almost $1 million have helped small businesses right here in New York State. More information on the MREIDL Program is available at http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/militaryreservistsloans/index.html.