C-Suite Wednesday — Is the Next SBA Administrator One of these Five?

December 7, 2016

By Bob Coleman
Editor, C-Suite Wednesday

C-Suite Wednesday — Is the Next SBA Administrator One of these Five?

After culling a number of google news searches, here are the list of names mentioned by various publications as Trump’s choice for SBA Administrator

Roll Call

Steve Chabot

The chairman of the House Small Business Committee name has been floated, but his office denies any interest in the position.

Mary Anne Bradfield

The leader of the Trump’s SBA transition team. Bradfield worked as a Counselor to the Deputy Administrator and Deputy Assistant Administrator for Congressional Affairs of the SBA under George W. Bush.

She has been involved with numerous policy institutes and as a lobbyist.

Back in 2008, ASBDC President Tee Rowe “recommended” Bradfield in LinkedIn, “Maryanne served as my deputy and was a conscientious, detailed oriented manager. Whether in the day-to-day office management, or our government relations work, she handled complex and delicate situations well.”

Forbes adds, “transition team leaders are frequently considered for posts in new presidential administrations.”

Other Forbes Potential SBA Administrators

Bruce LeVell

Georgia-based jewelry store owner Levell co-founded the National Diversity Coalition for Trump. “I wouldn’t rule anything out,” LeVell said when asked by Fortune if he was being considered for the post. “I would like to see the SBA play a constructive role as a necessary source of credit for small business.”

Christine Toretti

Toretti is the former chief executive of S.W. Jack Drilling Company, reportedly one of the largest land based, family-owned gas and oil drilling company in the U.S. The company went out of business in 2010. Toretti was initially in charge of Trump’s transition team overseeing the SBA. She is currently the national committeewoman for the Republican Party of Pennsylvania.

Small Business Trends

Linda McMahon

And, of course is the name we reported over the weekend, Linda McMahon.

McMahon is Co-founder and Former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment. WWE, later WWF, started as a small regional business, to a multinational company with over 800 employees.
She unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate as a Republican from Connecticut twice.

We polled you over the weekend for your reaction to Linda’s potential nomination.

Here are our unscientific results from 46 small business lending professionals asking if McMahon should be nominated as the SBA Administrator:

Yes — 26%
No — 63%
Don’t Care — 11%

With a few comments:

She might do really well. I hear she doesn’t put up with baloney and those bureaucrats are probably nervous about the idea. Which is good. We need somebody impatient for results. Also, the SBA could use some marketing talent. Market penetration is still too low. The other things it needs is vision, philosophical clarity, improved technology, better communication with the FDIC, smoother interactions with the IRS and the FBI, pricing and fee modifications and simplifications, etc.

Somebody needs to wrestle and take down the government choke hold on businesses and banks.

Riding a wave of the entertainment industry does not necessarily mean you can understand or manage the Small Business Administration.

The small business community does not need to be entertained (by pseudo intellectuals), it needs capital and and dynamic leadership to return SBA to the dynamic entity that it once was.

Very successful small business. Has had its ups and downs like everything in life, but have prospered and evolved through the years.

We need a community banker in that position. Anything less, is…less.

Trump is responsible for his picks. Let him live or die on his choices.