At Small Business Committee Hearing Shaheen Advocates for Veteran Owned Businesses, Hears from New Hampshire Veteran

(Washington, DC) – This morning, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, hosted Albert Tansey, President of Tansey Electric of Manchester, New Hampshire at a committee hearing on how the Small Business Administration (SBA) can support veterans’ small business ownership. Mr. Tansey shared his experience with the SBA as a veteran and how more support can be offered to veteran entrepreneurs. Tansey Electric was selected as the SBA’s 2015 State and Regional Veteran Owned Small Business of the Year.

“We must honor our commitment to the men and women who have served our nation in uniform and an important part of that is making sure they have the resources they need to succeed once they return home,” Shaheen said. “Albert Tansey has done fantastic work both as a member of our armed forces and as an entrepreneur in New Hampshire. I greatly appreciate him taking the time today to share with us his experience with the Small Business Administration and look forward to continuing to advocate for policies that encourage veteran small business ownership.”

At the hearing, Tansey described the importance of SBA resources in his career and how continued efforts by the SBA and its veteran support programs can help veteran entrepreneurs around the country. 

“A dart thrown at a map of the USA will land on a spot where I can guarantee you will find at least one dozen veterans who would give anything for the education and opportunity I have had because of the cooperation of the VA and SBA,” said Tansey. Tansey also discussed his work with the Veterans Business Owners Initiative, a nonprofit devoted to helping veterans become successful business owners.

Senator Shaheen has been a strong supporter of programs that support veteran small business ownership. Earlier this year, she introduced the Veterans Entrepreneurship Act, which would permanently waive loan fees for veteran-owned small businesses on SBA Express Loans between $150,000 and $350,000. The bill also requires the SBA to review existing veterans support programs to enhance their reach to veteran-owned small businesses. In particular, it requires that the SBA look at pre-deployment financial counseling for Guard and Reserve Members, outreach to women veterans entrepreneurs, and an underutilized program designed to help small business owners get access to credit when an essential employee is called up for active duty. The Veterans Entrepreneurship Act passed unanimously out of the Small Business Committee earlier this year.