What This Means for You
- Recognition: The SBA named eight educators and professionals as 2025 Boots to Business Instructors of the Year for supporting veterans and military families pursuing business ownership.
- Program Enforcement: The agency began termination proceedings against 154 Washington, D.C.-based firms in the 8(a) Business Development Program for exceeding financial eligibility limits.
- Next Steps: The firms will be suspended for at least 30 days pending final termination decisions; the instructor awards ceremony will be held virtually February 19.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Veterans pursuing small business ownership will see continued federal support through entrepreneurship training, while dozens of firms face possible removal from a key federal contracting program following an eligibility review by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The SBA announced February 10 the winners of its 2025 Boots to Business Instructor of the Year awards, recognizing educators and professionals who provide entrepreneurship training to service members, veterans, and military spouses.
The Boots to Business program, part of the Department of War’s Transition Assistance Program, offers introductory business education courses to members of the military community as they transition to civilian life. The courses are designed to help participants evaluate business ownership and build foundational small business skills.
SBA officials said the 2025 awards expanded to include new categories recognizing instructors who specialize in areas such as finance and marketing.
“Our veterans and military families have given so much in service to our country, and these instructors honor that service by investing in their futures,” said Kevin Barber, Assistant Administrator for the SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development.
The 2025 recipients include Tanisha Baptiste-Bynum of the SBA’s Connecticut District Office; David Smith of the Small Business Development Center at Texas Tech University; David Chappell of Milwaukee SCORE; Jason Payne of the Los Angeles Regional Veterans Business Outreach Center; Lisa Nutt of the Women’s Business Center of Southern Arizona; David Park of Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families; Joshua Dunlap of U.S. Bank in the banking category; and Shaundell Newsome of Sumnu Marketing in the “Other” category.
The honorees will be recognized during a virtual ceremony scheduled for February 19 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
One day later, on February 11, the SBA announced enforcement action involving a separate federal program. The agency said it sent letters to 154 Washington, D.C.-based firms initiating termination proceedings from the 8(a) Business Development Program after an internal review found they did not meet economic disadvantage requirements.
The 8(a) Business Development Program is a federal initiative that allows small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals to compete for set-aside and sole-source government contracts. “Set-aside” contracts are reserved exclusively for eligible small businesses, while “sole-source” contracts may be awarded without a competitive bidding process under certain conditions.
According to the SBA, the firms identified in the review exceeded statutory limits for net worth, adjusted gross income, or total assets. The agency said the firms will be suspended for at least 30 days before any final termination decisions are made.
The SBA stated that collectively, the 154 firms received nearly $1.3 billion in 8(a) set-aside and sole-source contracts between fiscal years 2021 and 2024.
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said the action followed a program integrity review conducted by the agency’s Office of Government Contracting and Business Development, which routinely verifies eligibility requirements for program participants.
The agency cited examples in which one firm reportedly listed total assets exceeding $35 million, more than five times the statutory eligibility limit, and another firm reported a net worth of at least $24 million while continuing to participate in the program.
The SBA also said it has initiated a broader review of the 8(a) program, including what it described as the first comprehensive audit in the program’s nearly 50-year history. Late last year, the agency required approximately 4,300 participating firms to submit three years of financial documentation and suspended more than 1,000 firms that did not comply.
The announcements reflect two separate tracks within the agency: expanding entrepreneurship training for veterans and military families while tightening eligibility oversight in federal small business contracting programs.
Additional information about the Boots to Business program is available at sba.gov/bootstobusiness.
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