On the Road with Coleman: 2014 NADCO Annual Meeting

May 2, 2014

By Bob Coleman
Editor, Coleman Report

Listen to Bob Coleman’s short 1:41min interview with NADCO President and CEO, Beth Solomon, at the 2014 NADCO Annual meeting in Colorado Springs, CO.

Bob Coleman: We’re with Beth Solomon at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, the NADCO 2014th Annual Meeting. Beth, tell us what’s going on.

Beth Solomon: Well, you often tease me about the weather, Bob, but it’s great, you have to admit, even almost as good as San Diego. But yeah, we’re thrilled to be here. We have 550 attendees, we have 26 exhibitors and 14 SBA officials including the new administrator, Maria Contreras-Sweet, so we’re really excited.

Bob Coleman: Yeah, she’s going to be here tomorrow. What is she going to tell your group?

Beth Solomon: She’s going to give a very inspiring talk about how we are game changers, we can make a difference. We make a difference one job, one small business, one community at a time and she gets it.

Bob Coleman: Yeah, I enjoyed your remarks this morning in terms of define who you are, why you do what you do. I thought it was a very powerful message for the CDCs out there.

Beth Solomon: We have a tremendous opportunity to make a difference and we are unique. The combination of financing that our members can put together to deliver small loans and bigger loans, to make things happen on Main Street, it’s unique. Banks can’t do it alone. We work with our bank partners, but they can’t do it alone, they don’t have all the tools and solutions that only CDCs have. So we just need to light a match and really get this going across the country.

Bob Coleman: I love it. Last comment, we’re at 6,000 feet. The theme is CDC’s climbing higher, what is the takeaway?

Beth Solomon: We can do better, we will do better. We’re going to make a bigger, better difference in this country working with our SBA colleagues.

Bob Coleman: Thank you, Beth Solomon, CEO, President of NADCO.

Beth Solomon: Thank you, Bob.