Personnel note: Former SBA chief joins LSN Partners

LSN Partners announced another major hire Friday.

The full-service consulting firm said it has brought on former U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Hector V. Barreto as a Senior Advisor. Barreto will serve as Senior Advisor to LSN’s emerging Small Business Administration Portfolio.

Born into an entrepreneurial family, Barreto gained invaluable business experience at an early age, which helped him build several successful companies in multiple industries.

Unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Barreto served as the 21st Administrator of the SBA. Under his leadership, the organization leveraged a loan portfolio in excess of $60 million and reached record heights of support for small businesses, especially those lead by minority and female entrepreneurs.

LSN said Barreto’s experience will prove particularly valuable to their clientele as they navigate the SBA programs launched in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Barreto guidance will also benefit large companies working through the process, too.

“His experience leading the agency through the aftermath of both September 11th and Hurricane Katrina makes him an invaluable resource,” said Alex Heckler, Co-Managing Partner of LSN.

Currently, Barreto is the chairman of The Latino Coalition, one of the largest and most effective non-profit Latino advocacy groups in the nation. He also is a member of the board of the United States Chamber of Commerce and serves on its council for small business.

Additionally, Barreto authored “The Engine of America,” a book dedicated to motivating and inspiring entrepreneurs through real-life stories and the winning formulas of successful national business leaders.

Barreto is a graduate of Rockhurst University and currently resides in Southern California with his wife and three children.

The hire comes a few days after LSN announced attorney and Miami Shores Mayor Crystal Wagar would join the firm as a Senior Advisor to the firm and an Of Counsel attorney to Llorente & Heckler, PA.

LSN Partners is a bipartisan firm based in South Florida, though it also has a presence in Washington, D.C. and is part of a national network, allowing it to assist clients in every state.