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Obama Administration Reaches Out To Entrepreneurs In Silicon Valley

SAN JOSE (KCBS) - The Obama administration wants to make it easier for Asian Americans to start companies and hire workers, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said Friday.

The tremendous job growth at young companies over the last 30 years is what led to the White House Initiative on Asian and Pacific Islanders Summit on Entrepreneurship, Locke said.

"We've assembled many of our experts from the administration here to talk about innovation, data and technology, and to offer guidance on job growth and business development," Locke said.

KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:

Margaret Wong drove down from Sacramento to learn about federal loan assistance programs for her environmental engineering export company.

"Import or export, you need working capital. Working capital requires a lot of cash up front, so any of these export loan programs that they can offer, that would be very helpful," she said.

Hundreds of entrepreneurs from around the state also learned about federal programs to connect American companies with customers in other countries.

"That's what our foreign commercial service officers do in some 80 countries around the world," said Locke.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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