by Sabrina Salas Matanane

Guam - Two more nominees to the Guam Economic Development Authority's board of directors appeared before lawmakers today. They were Ramona Jones and E.J. Calvo. The two were asked several questions by the panel of senators including what their views are in developing small businesses locally.

Jones said she would like to help small businesses navigate through the lengthy government process while Calvo said he will work to lift them up along with big businesses. "In general," Jones noted, "I think that when you look at employment statistics most of the jobs that are created by small businesses one of the problems that small businesses has when they come to a government agency is that a lot of the times is they don't have the resources to go through all of the documentation and all of the certification in order to come up with the complete package that would allow them to access the funds."

Calvo added, "I think when it comes to looking at small businesses rising tides lift all boats and as the economy gets better competitors in business big and small will benefit if given the opportunity and I think that's our role is to look at how we can get the engine going for a lot of these small business owners."

The two also responded that they would be able to make the tough decision in turning down loan applications and ventures that are not in the best interest of the people of Guam, they said they are willing to work with the Guam Legislature to reform GEDA's qualifying certificate program and said they would recuse themselves from voting and discussing issues that are brought before the board that may pose a conflict of interest.