SAVANNAH – The deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration visited Valdosta Wednesday to meet with local officials, small business owners, homeowners and renters who were impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Dilawar Syed started the day visiting the Portable Loan Outreach Center located at the McMullen Southside Library where he received a briefing and operational overview of SBA’s ground footprint and loan application volumes.

Syed next visited with local Valdosta entrepreneur Samantha Schreiber, owner of Cottonwood Market & Boutique, who discussed the impacts of Hurricane Helene on her business.

In the afternoon, Syed engaged in a roundtable discussion with Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson, Lowndes County Emergency Management Director Ashley Tye, Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber and Southern Georgia Black Chamber Association leadership, SBA resource partners, and community leaders to share resources and discuss how the assembled stakeholders can collaborate to speed access to services.

On Thursday, Syed’s tour of areas damaged by Hurricane Helene continued with a trip to Savannah, where he visited the Chatham County Business Recovery Center and the Savannah Bee Company before engaging in a roundtable discussion with leadership from minority chambers of commerce, SBA resource partners, community leaders and officials to discuss how to ensure all communities are getting equitable access to disaster recovery resources.