March 1, 2000 Library Presentation

Herbert L. Mitchell
Deputy Associate Administrator
Office Of Disaster Assistance
Small Business Administration (SBA)


and

Diana McClure
Assistant Vice President
Showcase Programs and Special Projects
Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS)


Open For Business
A Disaster Planning Toolkit for the Small Business Owner



Contents:

Summary
Online Transcript
Download Transcript (MS Word File)
Slide: Table of Contents

About Herb Mitchell
About Diana McClure

SBA Disaster Assistance Page
IBHS Homepage
Download Open for Business: A Disaster Planning Toolkit for the Small Business Owner
(1.7 MB PDF File)

SUMMARY

The IBHS/SBA publication, Open for Business: A Disaster Planning Toolkit for the Small Business Owner, is a brief, easy to use introduction to disaster recovery planning, consisting of 30 colorful pages of material to assist small businesses 1) identify the hazards it faces; (2) plan for and reduce the impact of disasters; (3) keep its doors open after a disaster hits and (4) advise the business owner on insurance, disaster supplies and the things that can make the difference, including checklists and an employee safety poster.

Introduced in December 1999, the IBHS and the SBA are targeting some high loss areas around the country to market and test the toolkit, focusing on FEMA Project Impact communities and IBHS Showcase programs, thus far Florida, Texas and California as high loss states; Rhode Island as a Showcase State; SW Indiana and MO; and hopefully, GA and the Carolinas. The toolkit is also integrated into the Disaster Resistant Jobs course held at EMI, and initial feedback has been positive.

The toolkit is available for download from the IBHS Website (see link above), or printed copies may be ordered for $10.00 per copy. Contact Karen Gahagan at IBHS, kgahagan@ibhs.org or 617-292-2003 x224 regarding multiple copies, or for permission to reproduce.

HERBERT L. MITCHELL
Deputy Associate Administrator
Office Of Disaster Assistance
Small Business Administration (SBA)

Herbert L. Mitchell is Deputy Associate Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance. He shares in the responsibility for administering, planning, developing, implementing and evaluating all SBA disaster loan-making programs. The program offers low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes to rebuild and recover in the aftermath of a disaster.

Before his appointment to the Office of Disaster Assistance in 1995, Mitchell headed the agency's Minority Enterprise Development program.

In 1991 Mitchell was selected for the SBA's District Director Candidate Development program, and served as the agency's District Director in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Mitchell began his SBA career twenty-two years ago in Richmond, Virginia where he served as a Business Opportunity Specialist and Assistant District Director for Minority Enterprise Development.

Mitchell earned his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University and pursued graduate studies in economics at Virginia State University.

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DIANA McCLURE
Assistant Vice President
Showcase Programs and Special Projects
Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS)

Diana McClure is Assistant Vice President of Showcase Programs and Special Projects with IBHS. In that capacity, she develops goals, objectives, implementation strategy, and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for Showcase Programs and special projects. She also provides staff support for the IBHS Flood Committee.

Ms. McClure worked for Rhode Island Sea Grant at the University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center 1996-1997, developing public/private partnerships for loss reduction from natural disasters in Rhode Island.

From 1989-1996 she worked as a hazard mitigation specialist for FEMA Region I, and from 1988-1989 as a Regional Representative with the New England office of the Insurance Information Institute. From 1976 - 1988, she developed, marketed and presented a management of diversity model throughout New England, tailored to specific institutional needs.

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