SANTA MARIA, Calif. - "We started working on this since June of this year. And hopefully we'll be opening before Christmas."
Maria's Cre-Asian Diner is the name of Maria Mandziara's soon-to-be-opened restaurant in Santa Maria. Mandziara is one of the many business owners on the Central Coast to have served for the U.S. military.
"I was in the U.S. Navy and my uncle recruited me in Chicago. Coming fresh from the Philippines, that was actually my first job."
Had she applied, Mandziara could have qualified for U.S. veteran assistance through the Small Business Association.
"I did not actually apply for it because I felt like I could do it on my own without the veteran status."
For veteran business owners who do need the help, the SBA's Patriot Express Loan program gives them access to financing for a variety of needs.
"It can be anywhere from working capital, to purchasing equipment, to possibly enlarging their facility which means a second location," says Karen Nuno, Vice President SBA Loan Manager at Heritage Oaks Bank in Santa Maria.
The SBA says the benefit for veterans is that they will still qualify for a loan even if they are deployed again in the near future. Also, the approval for their loans is much faster.
"It is a very streamlined process. It has less paperwork than other programs," says Nuno.
In the 2012 fiscal year, over $2 billion in financing went to veteran owned small businesses in the U.S.
