I recently attended a Small Business Administration (SBA) Regulatory Reform Roundtable, at which small business representatives were afforded an opportunity to share their stories of how regulatory policy has affected small business. Approximately 50 attendees showed up to voice opinions, heard by a panel of representatives from the SBA Office of Advocacy. The conversation was interactive, and the panel listened deliberately, answered questions, and offered insights and follow up on presented matters.

The SBA Office of Advocacy is an internal office of the SBA and serves as the independent voice for small business within the federal government. In a nutshell, this office advocates on behalf of small business to ensure their regulatory feedback is noted. As part of their mission, the Office of Advocacy hosts roundtables across the country to gain valuable insights from small businesses in the field. Through the follow up process, the office has specialists who engage with the businesses that bring forth concerns, making sure that the office understands the concern so that it can be addressed within the context and conversation of regulatory reform.

Industries showed up from manufacturing, transportation, construction, environmental engineering, cyber security, and others. As one individual brought up concerns regarding the WOTUS (Waters of the United States) rule, it provided an easy segue for me to speak of similar challenges within golf, citing the ambiguity of the definition of WOTUS and consequential lack of understanding of how the rule will be enforced. Likewise, I spoke to the industry’s challenges with labor shortages across the country, as well as industry use of the H-2B visa program. And one thing is for certain, we are not the only industry struggling to find labor.

The office defines small business as fewer than 500 employees, thereby including nearly all golf course venues. While GCSAA’s Grassroots Ambassadors program serves as a voice for representation within regulatory policy, the SBA Office of Advocacy can also help our industry, and have regional advocates across the country with which you can connect. Find more information at the SBA Office of Advocacy website.

I learned that one of President Trump’s early policies on regulatory reform included a mandate to eliminate two federal regulations for every one new federal regulation imposed, which is a strategy to help small business growth. One of the most intriguing concerns that highlighted why the SBA Office of Advocacy is so important for considering the ramifications of regulations on small businesses was concerns over an issue with a change-order for the manufacturing of U.S. Naval Academy pea coats. Turns out, the change-order will switch to synthetic jackets that will hurt U.S. small-business manufacturing, including the production of wool required for the classic pea coats used in the past. Furthermore, the classic wool pea coats worn by officers are much more flame and heat resistant than their incumbent synthetic version, further puzzling the decision to make this switch. This meeting was a great learning experience.