SENATOR DODD AND CONGRESSWOMAN DELAURO VISIT SAMA AND GRAND AVENUE

As the stock market continue rise and fall like a roller coaster merchants on New Haven’s Grand Avenue continue to struggle to keep their businesses open.

On Monday October 27, 2008 United States Senator Chris Dodd and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro paid a visit to the SAMA New Haven Office where they met with Executive Director Julio Mendoza and Office Director Frank Alvarado to discuss the current economic conditions facing small business owners.

Senator Dodd and Congresswoman DeLauro were, taken on tour of the Grand Avenue business district where they discussed the many issues facing small business owners directly with business owners and service providers on Grand Avenue.

As Senator Dodd and Congresswoman DeLauro spoke with merchants it became apparent that the major concerns that merchant have include their ability to keep up with increasing operating cost and the lack of  available credit for small businesses.

At several times during the tour Julio Mendoza SAMA Executive Director urged both Senator Dodd and Congresswoman DeLauro to please work on developing “ a recovery package for small businesses that would include funds to make direct loans to small businesses”

Mr. Mendoza said that the ability for small businesses to get traditional loan at a Bank is becoming almost impossible.

Both Senator Dodd and Congresswoman agreed that a need exist and that their offices would work toward getting a meeting together to start to address the issues of small businesses.

Also accompanying SAMA staff on the tour was State Representative Juan Candelaria , Aldermen Joseph Rodriguez and Migdalia Castro, Neighborworks New Horizons Executive Director, Selia Mosquera-Bruno and Grand Avenue Village Association Executive Director, Gabriela Campos.