San José Small Business Advisory Committee

Mission & Purpose

The mission of the Advisory Committee is to advocate for small businesses San José, promote entrepreneurship and continue to make San José an ideal place to live, work and do business in.

The purpose of the Advisory Committee is to:

Support actions that encourage the creation, growth and sustainability of small businesses in San José.
Advise and inform program and policy work proposed or undertaken by the City of San José relevant to small businesses and the San José small business ecosystem.
Encourage collaboration and partnership working between the public, private, and nonprofit organizations in San José relevant to the interests of the small businesses.
Promote the positive impact small businesses have across the diverse communities of San José, including the contribution small businesses make to wealth creation and strengthening the city’s fiscal resiliency.

Membership

To achieve a broad representation of business interests, four business interest groups will form the membership of the Committee:

Chambers of Commerce and business advocacy organizations with membership initially drawn from the SBATF;
Established Local Neighborhood Business Associations and small businesses in a specific location or industry;
Business Support organizations actively engaged in the Business Owners Space partnership, and
Institutions and stakeholders with a clear business and/or economic interest relevant to small business (i.e. a bank, philanthropist etc.) and a commitment to San José.

It is recommended that each group have the same number of representatives among a maximum of 20 members.

The Advisory Committee may also invite individuals as expert advisors to attend committee meetings.

The City Manager has appointed the following 12 members of the committee to serve for an initial three years from November 15, 2023 to November 15, 2026:

Name	Title, Organization	Term
Anuradha Basu	Professor & Director of the Silicon Valley Center, San Jose State University	3 years
Chandra Brooks	Business Owner & Coach, Scrublyfe Uniforms ;	3 years
Dr. Kobad Bugwadia	Owner & Center Director, Mathnasium Willow Glen	3 years
Christina Bui	Business Owner (Love Me Knots Bridal) & Chair, Tully Road Business Association,	3 years
Daniel Fernandez	Chief Executive, TMC Community Capital	3 years
Jesus Flores	Business Owner & Executive Director, Latino Business Foundation	3 years
Ryan Gorospe	Business Owner, Hula Bar and Kitchen	3 years
Mimi Hernandez	Executive Director, Prosperity Lab	3 years
Charles Jones	Business Owner, Jones Enterprises	3 years
Dennis King	Executive Director, Enterprise Foundation	3 years;
Tony Lam	Business Owner & Investor, Launch Your First	3 years
Azer Manashir	Senior Vice President Bay Area, Bank of America	3 years
Tony Mirenda	Interim Chief, San Jose Chamber of Commerce	3 years

The committee continues to welcome applications. Apply here to be considered for membership in the Committee.

Frequency of meetings

The Committee will meet on a quarterly basis with the option to host additional events, seminars and conferences. Meetings will be open to the public. Meetings will include a space for public comment live interpretation will be provided upon request.

Council Member Liaison

Councilmembers Rosemary Kamei and Peter Ortiz, who serve on the City's Community and Economic Development Committee, will be the City Council Liaisons to the Committee. The work of the Small Business Advisory Committee will be included in the annual review of the Business Development Division to the Community and Economic Development Committee.

Brown Act

The San José Small Business Advisory Committee will be subject to the requirements of the Brown Act.

Secretariat

Under the direction of the City Manager the Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs will provide the secretariat services to the Committee. For more information please contact:

Victor Farlie
Assistant to the City Manager – Small Business
victor.farlie@sanjoseca.gov