March Spotlight, Gary Youmans

Founding member Gary Youmans of Community National Bank in Escondido, CA credits NAGGL with aiding in the growth of the 7(a) program over the last 20 years.

"NAGGL has brought an awareness to everyone who needs to know about how important SBA programs are in helping small businesses grow, creating jobs in that sector, and allowing banks of all sizes to assist the borrowers who would not normally have access to capital," he said in a recent interview with NAGGL.

As a long-time board member, Gary has continuously served the 7(a) industry. He also serves as Chair of NAGGL's Conference & Education Committee, and in 2001 received the SBA's Financial Advocate of the Year award, an experience he said was "…quite an honor and provided my family and myself an experience we will never forget. I believe much of what I have gained can be attributable to my association with NAGGL," he added.

Looking forward, Youmans believes NAGGL's single most important contribution to the industry is securing adequate funding on a consistent basis so "there will never be a question as to the need to provide the correct level of funding to create the dollar amount of loans that the small business community needs to help fuel the economic growth in the small business sector."