Cheryl S. Eftink, director of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Des Moines district office, announced her retirement last week after 32 years with the agency. She has served as district director since 1998 and has been responsible for overseeing the management and delivery of the SBA’s financial assistance, business development and counseling programs. In the last five years, her office has approved 1,716 loans totaling $283 million and has helped provide small business workshops, counseling, advice and other management and technical assistance to Iowans. Eftink, who said her replacement is expected to be named next month, spoke with the Business Record about the office that was created 50 years ago.

Q: What are the duties of the office?  A: We were established to help small businesses in Iowa. There are four areas of assistance that we are known by, including financial, management and government procurement assistance, as well as acting as a general advocate for small businesses. We provide a guarantee on loans and one-on-one counseling, and we help them attain government contracts. We also review laws to look after the best interest of small businesses.

Q: What has changed over the years?  A: When I first started, small businesses tried to act like big businesses. Now, big businesses try to act like small businesses because they realize small businesses can quickly adapt to change and they are more in touch with their staff.

Q: What are your proudest accomplishments?  A: We’ve had a gradual increase in the number of lenders using SBA. We’ve also established the Iowa Enterprise Network, the Hispanic Chamber and the Office of Women’s Business Ownership during the last five years. As I reflect upon my career, I am most proud to be a part of creating those organizations and I’m happy to see them going strong. It’s great to see the changes brought about by the OWBO. When I started working here, only 5 percent of all businesses were owned by women. Today, 25 percent of the state’s businesses are owned by women.

Q: What challenges will your successor face?  A: Continuing to encourage lenders to use the program. Like other federal agencies, they will face budget cuts.

Q: What changes would you like to see made to the office?  A: There’s always room for improvement. But I think we’ve done a relatively good job in encouraging growth and expansion. You hear reports about how Iowa ranks very low in business start-ups, but those numbers are based on taxes. They don’t factor in all the help that is available to small businesses, so it’s a bit misleading. If you look closely, you’ll see there are wonderful services and programs in the state. The challenge is getting the word out. Other than that, I’d like to see more of the same we have been doing. I’m proud of the SBA.