Create a free Manufacturing.net account to continue

Biden Swears In Head Of Small Business Agency

Contreras-Sweet says entrepreneurs are the difference-makers in the U.S. economy and that SBA plays a pivotal role in helping them overcome hurdles.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Vice President Joe Biden has sworn in Maria Contreras-Sweet as the new head of the Small Business Administration.

President Barack Obama also attended part of the ceremony on the White House campus. He says Contreras-Sweet knows the challenges businesses face first-hand and has a track record in helping them.

Contreras-Sweet says entrepreneurs are the difference-makers in the U.S. economy and that SBA plays a pivotal role in helping them overcome hurdles.

The Senate easily approved Contreras-Sweet last month on a voice vote. The Mexican-born Contreras-Sweet immigrated to the U.S. when she was five years old, and founded a Latino-owned bank in Los Angeles.

Biden says Contreras-Sweet is living proof that anything can happen in America. He says the Hispanic business community is "absolutely central" to economic growth in the U.S.

RELATED: Small Businesses Have Wish List For New SBA Head

More