PHOTOS: The SBA 100 -- 100 businesses that created 100 jobs each with help from the Small Business Administration

I’m pleased to announce the SBA 100, a showcase of 100 small businesses that got SBA help to create at least 100 jobs. These include Main Street businesses ranging from small brewery in Delaware to a Dairy Queen owner in Alaska.  They also include high-growth, high-impact firms that have made a major impact on our economy, like Oregon-based Columbia Sportswear, which now generates over $1 billion in annual revenue. Enter the SBA 100 Gallery What they all share in common is that they directly benefited from SBA help at a critical moment in their growth.  Some received great advice from our staff or our counselors.  Many got SBA loans.  Others won federal contracts.  Still others used unique programs like Small Business Investment Companies or the Small Business Innovation Research program.I’m looking forward to visiting my first SBA 100 business this week in Madison, Wisconsin: Full Compass, an audio/video and lighting equipment firm. Back in the early 80s, they received an SBA 7(a) loan to start building their business.  Today, they have 180 employees, a new 80,000-square-foot facility, and $100 million in annual sales.Browse through the gallery of stories and – if you’re a small business owner – see how the SBA might be able to help you build, expand, and hire.  If you know someone who wants to start a business, forward them the link: www.sba.gov/100. And keep in mind that this is just a small cross-section of the millions of small businesses we’ve helped in recent years.  Now more than ever, the SBA stands ready to help all kinds of small businesses do what they do best: grow a business, create jobs, and drive our economy forward.

About the Author

Karen Gordon Mills is the Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBA helps both Main Street and high-growth small businesses get access to capital, counseling, federal contracts, disaster assistance and more.