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Brewers Association General Counsel Marc Sorini will be joined by guests from the U.S. Small Business Administration, including Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman and Associate Administrators Patrick Kelley and Julie Verratti, to discuss the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, a $28.6 billion fund created to provide direct financial relief to hard hit on-premise food and dining businesses.
The SBA has been tasked with implementing and administrating the Restaurant Revitalization Fund to ensure that the funds are received by the breweries, restaurants, bars, and other hospitality businesses that need them most. Brewers Association members have the unique opportunity to hear directly from the SBA about who qualifies for the funds and how to apply.
About the Speakers
Isabella Casillas Guzman, Administrator
Small Business Administration
Isabella Casillas Guzman serves as the 27th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and was sworn in on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Administrator Guzman represents the more than 30 million U.S. small businesses and is committed to helping small business owners and entrepreneurs start, grow and be resilient.
A lifelong proponent of small businesses, Guzman grew up as the daughter of a small business owner and learned at a young age how important small businesses are to the communities they serve, the people they employ, and the economies they help power.
Administrator Guzman previously served as Director of the California Office of the Small Business Advocate, a position she held after being appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in April 2019. In that role, she served as the voice of small businesses and innovative startups in the 5th largest economy in the world. She administered and advocated for programs and initiatives to help small businesses access capital, markets, and networks for stronger outcomes. She and her team helped connect entrepreneurs in every community with the resources needed. As the economic recovery support function coordinator for the state, she focused on resilience and most recently worked to help small businesses access relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In California, Administrator Guzman oversaw a network of small business centers focused on expanding assistance to underserved business groups. She launched new public private partnerships and collaborated to deliver cutting edge resources to small businesses, including through initiatives like Get Digital CA to increase technology and e-commerce adoption and Source Diverse Source Local to strengthen supply chain readiness. She advocated fiercely for financial relief for small businesses, leading to the expansion of state supported lending and the largest COVID-19 grant relief program in the nation at over $2.5 billion. Guzman's office launched the Entrepreneurship Task Force to serve as a bridge to small businesses and create content and programs to help strengthen the competitiveness of startup and small firms.
Administrator Guzman has previously served in leadership at the SBA as the agency’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor during the Obama-Biden Administration, where she oversaw policy and new program implementation. She was a small business entrepreneur herself, and an advisor to fellow founders including in accelerating technology commercialization and in helping small business contractors leverage the federal marketplace. Administrator Guzman earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.
Patrick Kelley, Associate Administrator
Small Business Administration
Julie Verratti, Associate Administrator
Small Business Administration
Julie Verratti was appointed Associate Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Field Operations on March 1, 2021. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the 68 District Offices and 10 Regional Offices in the field across the country. The mission of the field offices is to help small businesses access SBA services in coordination with resource partners, lenders, and other local economic development organizations. This nationwide network oversees the delivery and management of the federal agency's small business programs, financial assistance, and business development initiatives.
Prior to accepting the White House appointment to the SBA, Verratti was co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of Maryland-based Denizens Brewing Co. She has stepped back from her role at her company to fully focus on helping small businesses across the country. She knows at a very human level what it means to be a small business owner-operator, and brings that level of empathy with her to this position. Verratti is also no stranger to SBA's mission – prior to starting and growing Denizens, she was a Presidential Management Fellow and Senior Policy Advisor at the agency. Verratti earned her BA from Brandeis University and her law degree from The George Washington University Law School.
Bob Pease, President & CEO
Brewers Association
Bob Pease is president & CEO of the Brewers Association, the national trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers. In his role, Pease is responsible for the strategic development and tactical execution of the association’s mission in the areas of membership development, events, media relations, and government affairs. He has led the charge to strengthen the small brewer’s voice in Washington, D.C.
Marc Sorini, General Counsel
Brewers Association
Marc Sorini, General Counsel for the Brewers Association, is a beer lover and homebrewer who has served as a counsel for small and independent craft brewers for more than two decades.
Marc holds a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center and when he’s not contemplating beverage alcohol law, he's homebrewing with his adult kids.
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