BRIEF: SBA leader visits Olathe business

Isabella Casillas Guzman, the Small Business Administrator for the U.S., visited Olathe-based Mid-State Aerospace, Inc., on Thursday.

The company, at 710 N Lindenwood Dr. in east Olathe, manufactures aviation parts. It works with major companies — like Boeing and Lockheed Martin — and sells on the international marketplace as well. It also has a number of federal government contracts, including with NASA.

Over the years, Mid-State has gotten support from SBA programs, such as the pandemic Paycheck Protection loan program. Guzman said during the tour of MSA facility that small businesses play an integral part in the American economy. About half of the U.S. workforce is employed by a small business, but according to a recent report from Rep. Sharice Davids' office, about 90% of the employers in Kansas' District 3 is employed by a small business.