Joseph Amato has over thirty years experience in business consulting and small business lending. Mr. Amato has been employed as a District Director for the State of Nevada, an SBDC executive director, CDC portfolio manager, and direct lender participating in various SBA lending and outreach programs over the past twenty-six years. Mr. Amato has distinct knowledge of all SBA lending and other SBA support programs. He is originally from the New York City area and spent the better part of the last twenty-five years in the Washington D.C area primarily serving the Mid-Atlantic region as the majority owner of a boutique consulting firm specializing in access to capital. Mr. Amato was awarded the 1997 SBA Financial Services Advocate of the Year, the year before he sold his consulting company to American Express Tax and Business Services. He has used his extensive knowledge and experience to assist small and medium sized businesses throughout the United States. As a former business owner/executive, SBA District Director, or SBA program participant, Mr. Amato has evidenced a consistently strong work ethic and knowledge base that will prove valuable to the small business owner or aspiring entrepreneur.