A Visit From The President


President Obama visits the Oasis Mechanical Contractors, in Lanham, to talk about how to help small businesses.

Years after first turning to the federal government for help to start up their Lanham company, Rick Cummings and Dennis Bean were able to return the favor last week when President Obama stopped by to announce new proposals to help small businesses.

“We were floored. I don’t know if I can describe it. It was almost surreal,” said Cummings, a Bowie resident who co-owns Oasis Mechanical Contractors with Bean, of Silver Spring. The 20-employee business provides mechanical services for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to hundreds of customers.

Since it opened in 2003, Oasis has already received government help in the form of two Small Business Administration loans, including a $35,000 loan through the American Recovery and Reinvestment stimulus package last year.

The owners used that loan to pay off their high-interest debt. Previously, they used an SBA loan to get their business off the ground with startup capital and equipment.

“They had a dip and we helped them with cash flow,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills, who also attended the Feb. 5 event. “Every time we get money into a small business, it results in jobs. … This is the real thing.”



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