U.S. Small Business Administration
January 22, 2015
ATLANTA, GA – Columbia, South Carolina small business owner Frank Knapp, Jr. has been appointed to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Region IV Regulatory Fairness Board by SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet.
Regional Regulatory Fairness Boards in all 10 of SBA’s regions represent the voice of small business on regulatory fairness issues. Each board is comprised of five small business owners and serves as a resource and point of contact for small business owners who feel they have experienced excessive federal regulatory enforcement and compliance actions. SBA Region IV includes South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.
Regional Regulatory Fairness Board members advise the National Ombudsman and Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Enforcement Fairness, Brian Castro. The National Ombudsman and board members host regulatory fairness hearings and outreach events nationwide where small business owners report concerns about burdensome federal regulations.
“As a small business owner for more than 20 years and co-founder of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Knapp understands small business, what is required to grow a business, create jobs and be a strong advocate for other local small business owners,” Castro said. “The members of the Regulatory Fairness Board play a critical role in making sure the voice of small business is heard by regulators and help to support regulatory solutions that save small business time and money.”
As a Region IV Regulatory Fairness Board member, Knapp will serve as a local resource for small businesses and will work with small business trade groups and other entities to address regional concerns about federal regulatory enforcement and compliance issues.
“It is quite an honor to serve on this important Board,” said Knapp. “It is very important for small businesses to understand that there are resources to help them navigate federal regulations. I have been a strong advocate for such regulatory assistance.”
Knapp is the president of The Knapp Agency, an advertising and public relations firm, and serves as the president and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he serves on the advisory board for the South Carolina Small Business Development Center and in 2014 was recognized by the SBA as the South Carolina Small Business Financing Advocate of the Year. Knapp also serves as co-chair of the American Sustainable Business Council. He can be reached by email at fknapp@scsbc.org or by phone at 803-252-5733.
The Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA), which created the Office of the National Ombudsman, also created five-member Regulatory Fairness Boards in each of the SBA’s 10 regions. The members of the Regulatory Fairness Boards represent the small business community to provide insights on immediate regulatory challenges facing small business owners – perspectives that are critical to eliminating ineffective, duplicative, or outmoded regulatory business barriers to small business. For more information about the Office of the National Ombudsman, visit the website at www.sba.gov/ombudsman.