Tony O’Reilly, president of the Small Business Assistance Corporation, recently presented at the Council of Development Finance Agencies’ Georgia Conference on small business finance solutions. The one-day conference held in Atlanta featured a number of economic development finance experts from around the state discussing finance tools, resources and approaches.

“Georgia’s small businesses are essential to the state’s well-being but are often overlooked and underutilized in economic growth strategies and financing programs,” said O’Reilly. “Although access to capital can be challenging, there are resources for financing such as the State Small Business Credit Initiative, a program that helps small businesses get the loans they need to expand and create jobs.”

As president of SBAC, a Community Development Financial Institution, O’Reilly oversees 13 different loan programs that serve 53 counties in southeast Georgia as well as Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton and Jasper Counties in South Carolina.

CDFA, a national association dedicated to the advancement of development finance concerns and interests, is comprised of the nation’s leading and most knowledgeable members of the development finance community representing hundreds of public, private and nonprofit development entities. Members are state, county and municipal development finance agencies and authorities that provide or otherwise support economic development financing programs as well as a variety of non-governmental and private organizations including bankers, underwriters, attorneys, financial advisors and other organizations interested in development finance.