Travelers now offers a Small Business Risk Education (SBRE)program to promote insurance and risk literacy to female andminority entrepreneurs. One participant has already described theoffering as “game changing” for her retail store. 

“The SBRE program taught me about risks I had never evenconsidered,” said Jacqueline Sharp, whose L.A.-based business,Fort, makes furniture from recycled and reclaimed materials.

She continued, “Through training with a Travelers safetyprofessional, I developed a clear sense of potential issues thatcould impact my ability to staff, grow and manage my company. I nowhave a risk management plan to prepare from unexpectedinterruptions and can focus my time on building my business.”

SBRE is a joint venture between Travelers and the ValleyEconomic Development Center (VEDC), the largest non-profit businessdevelopment corporation in the Los Angeles Area.

So far, the $150,000 Travelers grant has allowed SBRE to trainparticipants (77 percent of whom are women and 70 percent of whomare minorities) about the safety risks associated with smallbusiness ownership, risk management and business continuityplanning, and offered microloans to support capital investmentsrelated to risk management, sustainability and growth.

“Our mission is to create and sustain jobs in our communities,”explains Roberto Barragan, president and CEO of VEDC. “So the SBREprogram is a natural fit for us. By leveraging Traveler's riskcontrol expertise and providing the necessary access to capital,we've been able to provide some of our region's job creators andinnovators with tools that will contribute to a stronger localeconomy and a better quality of life.”

SBRE was launched in Los Angeles, Calif. in early 2012, andTravelers plans to extend the program into Chicago in 2013.

Some of the VEDC's projects besides SBRE are the SBA Women'sBusiness Center, the San Fernando Valley Financial DevelopmentCorporation, the Los Angeles Business Source Center and the PacoimaDevelopment Federal Credit Union.