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Eugene Cornelius, Jr.

Showing 1–2 of 2 transcripts.

  1. Milken Institute1h 31m

    Small Business Community: What Happened to Mom and Pop?

    Nigel Duara, Lenore Estrada, Isabella Casillas Guzman, Eugene Cornelius, Jr., Carolina Martinez, Mark J. Robertson, Sr., David Lesher

    Co-hosted by CalMatters and the Milken Institute, this strategic discussion examined the critical recovery challenges facing California's four million small businesses with special attention to the stark disparities affecting communities of color and women-owned enterprises. Featuring newly appointed SBA Director Isabella Casillas Guzman, the event analyzed how the agency's portfolio expansion to over $1 trillion was initially skewed by banking biases, prompting a pivot toward a "Five C's" framework that prioritizes coaching, diverse capital, and community navigation to address exclusion. Looking forward, the SBA is repositioning to connect small businesses with the $500 billion federal infrastructure marketplace while implementing a $100 million Community Navigator pilot to streamline access for underserved entrepreneurs.

  2. Milken Institute1h 15m

    Supporting and Strengthening Minority-Owned Businesses During (and After) the Pandemic

    Eugene Cornelius, Jr., Susan Au Allen, Ron Busby, Ramiro Cavazos

    Susan R. Allen, Ron Busby, and Ramon Calveras led a critical panel discussing the disproportionate pandemic impact on Black, Hispanic, and Asian-owned businesses, where severe capital gaps and procurement barriers forced a 41% loss in Black enterprises and exacerbated economic divisions within the Asian community. The advocates rejected the "minority" label in favor of recognizing these groups as the new mainstream, proposing specific policy interventions such as unbundling federal contracts, reinstating prompt payment laws, and partnering with fintech firms to bridge the historic wealth gap. Moving beyond rhetoric, the panel outlined a concrete agenda to submit a policy white paper to the Treasury Department and encourage institutional mergers, aiming to permanently recalibrate the economy and secure equitable market access for millions of minority entrepreneurs.