Small Business "Backbone" Podcast

Small Business "Backbone" Podcast

por Frank Knapp
EmprendimientoPolítica
Temporada 2
SBA wants larger businesses to receive its benefits
The U.S. Small Business Administration wants to raise the size standard for the businesses that can receive SBA-backed loans and federal contracts. The result will be fewer private loans and federal contracts to the nation’s real small businesses. Alexis D’Amato Falvey is the Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs for the Small Business Majority. She talks with podcast host Frank Knapp about how the proposed regulation change will crowd out smaller businesses from SBA programs. The Small Business Majority sent a letter to the SBA earlier this month explaining in detail how the size change will hurt small businesses and called for an extension of the comment period beyond the original September 21st deadline. Ms. Falvey says that the comment period has been extended and encouraged all small businesses to submit comments to the SBA on this issue and oppose the increased size standard.* Should the SBA ignore the protests from small businesses and implement the new size standards, Ms. Falvey says that her organization will push for Congress to use its oversight role to hold hearings and possibly pass laws to restore the previous size standards. She also hinted that there could be lawsuits on the matter. *Unfortunately, as of 9/28/26 the federal system to file a comment online regarding this proposed regulation is not accepting comments. Comments submitted via email to the person at the SBA bounce. Until this process is corrected, please send your comments to me and I will get them to the SBA. My email is fknapp@scsbc.org. Thanks. Frank
T2 · E16
27 sept 2026
25:36
Professor’s research reveals “brain rot” associated with social media use
Professor Maxi Heitmayer talks with podcast host Frank Knapp about his research on how the young users of social media are aware of how they are being impacted. He describes brain rot as a state of being fogged out, overwhelmed, exhausted and not fully in control of what one is doing; characteristics described by young social media users. The professor found that the young social media users do not see themselves as victims but feel that there is nothing else to do because everyone is using social media. They are acutely aware of what is happening to them but believe that there is no other option and don’t know a way out. Professor Heitmayer describes feedback from older social media users saying that they are spending so much time on their phones that they have less time available to “be present” or the people around them “are not present” because of social media use. He hears complaints from those he interviews about how they are not able to focus. Mr. Knapp shares that small business owners report that young employees are having trouble focusing on their job and social media is to blame.
T2 · E15
17 sept 2026
27:47
Are illegal immigrants voting? Not according to the conservative Heritage Foundation's own data.
The underlying reason given for the SAVE America Act is that illegal aliens are voting in huge numbers and influencing elections. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, Senior Fellow at the American Immigration Council, has analyzed the Heritage Foundation's own "voter fraud" national database. The Heritage Foundation supports the SAVE America Act. He tells podcast host Frank Knapp that analysis of the Foundation's database shows that "there is no evidence" of illegal immigrants" voting. There is less than 0.0001% of noncitizens voting dating back to 2000, Reichlin-Melnick says. He talks about both the dollar cost for states to comply with the SAVE America Act, should Congress pass the bill, and the cost of to democracy for the millions of legitimate-voters in the country who would not be able to produce the documents the Act would require for voter registration and voting.
T2 · E14
8 sept 2026
27:06
Is NextEra/Dominion merger good for low-income residents? Appleseed says no.
Adam Protheroe is the Energy Justice Attorney at the S.C. Appleseed Legal Justice Center, a nonprofit that has intervened in the SC Public Service Commission review of the NextEra/Dominion merger proposal. Protheroe talks with podcast host Frank Knapp about Appleseed actively raising objections to the merger due to concerns, including very high customer disconnection rates of Florida Power & Light owned by NextEra. Protheroe also criticized the Public Service Commission ruling in favor of NextEra and Dominion’s request for only a 6-month timeline for the Commission to decide on the merger. He believes it would have been better for our ratepayers if Virginia regulators and intervenors discussed issues and negotiated concessions from NextEra first. He points out that attorneys know the negotiating tactic: the first to go loses.
T2 · E13
27 ago 2026
26:18
Tired of high electric bills? Expert talks about plug-in solar.
Cora Stryker, co-founder of the non-profit Bright Saver, talked with podcast host Frank Knapp about how rooftop solar is not possible for 70% of Americans. That means that they can’t lower their electric bills by tapping into solar. Bright Saver has a solution—plug-in (balcony) solar—which can lower the cost of solar for the consumer. Stryker describes how this type of solar works, the largest plug-in solar units (360-watt for $414) can generate enough electricity to power a refrigerator, router and TV all at the same time. Bright Saver is selling these solar systems at cost to promote solar energy to the masses. The payoff on the units is around two years. After that, the electricity produced is free. Stryker has created a promotion code to get a small discount for those who want to become a member ($29 a year) of Bright Saver and be eligible to purchase a plug-in solar system at cost. Go to brightsaver.org and use the South Carolina promotion code SCsmallbusiness.
T2 · E12
13 ago 2026
28:14
Energy expert expresses concerns about Santee Cooper's proposed rate hikes
Santee Cooper, South Carolina’s state-owned utility, is proposing rate increases for all its customers. Those increases for residential customers would be 4.7% in 2027 and 4.8% in 2018. Taylor Allred, State Energy & Climate Program Director at the S.C. Coastal Conservation League, talks with podcast host Frank Knapp about the problems with the Santee Cooper procedure for enacting rate hikes. Allred expresses concerns that Santee Cooper does not invest enough money in low-income housing energy efficiency that has a net positive impact on the utility’s energy expenditures. He also talks about the problem of Santee Cooper charging customers for on-going construction projects instead of waiting until that generation facility is in use as investor-owned utilities are required to do. Taylor also talks about the complicated Santee Cooper’s publicly available data and how it is impossible for small businesses to estimate what their rate increase will be. He also criticizes the utility’s rate structure that he says is unfair to residential consumers and benefits the industrial class.
T2 · E11
5 ago 2026
28:28
Small business warned about AI tools liability
Wesley Henderson, Charleston-based business attorney, talks with podcast the host, Frank Knapp, about the need for small businesses to realize that they can be held legally responsible for the AI tools that they use. Henderson points out that Chatbots are not perfect and businesses will be held legally responsible for their mistakes. He provides examples of problems and emphasizes how the products of AI tools must be reviewed. “You still have to have humans as supervisors”, warns Henderson.
T2 · E10
29 jul 2026
27:37
Many SC small towns are on a "Roster of Shame" for corruption, mismanagement and infighting
Tony Bartelme, senior projects reporter for the Charleston Post and Courier talked with podcast host Frank Knapp about his latest series of investigative reports called Townfall. He created a Roster of Shame list of 120 South Carolina towns and municipalities that have experienced various problems ranging from embezzlement to corruption to misconduct to mismanagement. Bartelme said that the common theme in most of these towns is they are not doing their basic financial analysis and audits in spite of state law requiring towns to do independent auditing and submitting these to the state. Towns included in these “accountability deserts”, resulting largely from mismanagement, allow for corruption, waste, questionable conduct and infighting. Bartelme talks about Elloree, SC, as an example of the problem. He points out that 23 states monitor and respond to their local governments in fiscal distress. But South Carolina does not. He illustrates how North Carolina’s Local Government Commission has done a good job helping their towns in trouble get back on track. Bartelme believes that good governance at the local level is essential for economic development in these rural and underserved communities.
T2 · E9
16 jul 2026
26:52
GOP Gubernatorial candidate, Rom Reddy, warns of the danger of corporate money in elections
Rom Reddy said that he has lived the true American dream. He immigrated from India as a teenager, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, working in the corporate world, becoming a business owner and ran for Governor of South Carolina this year. While he was not successful in his Gubernatorial campaign, Mr. Reddy tells the podcast host, Frank Knapp, the experience opened his eyes to problem of negative campaigning, and he saw politics bring out the real evil in people. Mr. Reddy talks about his opposition to data centers because they do not create jobs while raising the costs for consumers. He cites the primary reason South Carolina has not passed regulations on data centers is the large amount of “dark money” from the data center industry flowing through Political Acton Committees to support candidates from the state to the local level. He calls the system “corrupt” and says that if we don’t fix it, “we the citizen will forever be lost.” Mr. Reddy announced that starting September 1st, he is launching a podcast called “The Reddy Room”. He plans on interviewing national politicians and experts on important issues.
T2 · E8
1 jul 2026
26:55
Gubernatorial candidate Nancy Mace ready to take on data centers
SC Congresswoman Nancy Mace spoke with Small Business “Backbone” Podcast host Frank Knapp about what she intends to do about data centers if she is elected Governor. She says that she has heard from a lot of people across South Carolina that they are against data centers and that they don’t think that their voices are being heard. Congresswoman Mace severely criticized one of the Senate bills, offered this past legislative session to supposed to regulate data centers, saying that it did not protect ratepayers. She said that the failure of the legislature to pass meaningful data center regulations was a result of “doing what we’ve always done, which is nothing.” If elected, Congresswoman Mace said that she will be very involved in the data center issue and that she would personally wright the bill.
T2 · E7
29 may 2026
14:27
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