United States Small Business Administration Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet visited Cape Girardeau Tuesday.

The administrator’s tour of Cape Girardeau began at Catapult Creative House on Broadway where she met with Southeast Missouri State University President Carlos Vargas, members of Old Town Cape, the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce and small business owners.

As part of her visit, Contreras-Sweet presented a certificate to Vargas thanking the university for its efforts in growing small businesses and entrepreneurship in the area, especially those offered through Catapult.

“Two-thirds of jobs come from small businesses,” Contreras-Sweet said. “We wanted to stop and say hello to you and recognize your efforts, particularly here in the region and helping to lift the spirit of entrepreneurship.”

The administrator was given a tour by Catapult’s director Leah Powers and Shoppe manager Ashley Lokey.

“It’s just one of the experiences that we’ve gotten to appreciate with Catapult,” Lokey said. “It’s something that we can always learn from and it’s a great opportunity to market ourselves to people we wouldn’t normally have access to.”

Before leaving Catapult, the administrator was presented with a handmade gift from Catapult’s Shoppe and Associate Administrator Jackie Robinson-Burnette purchased a set of handmade side tables from the Shoppe.

After leaving Catapult, the tour of Cape Girardeau continued to Codefi, a technology incubator located in the old Federal Building on Broadway where the administrator met with Dr. James Stapleton, the company’s co-founder and former university staff member. The administrator toured Codefi’s current location and learned about its new location in Marquette Tower, which is set to open this fall. The tour ended with lunch at Minglewood Brewery.

President Vargas was among many who received honors from the SBA. Dr. Stapleton, Minglewood Brewery owner Stuart Matthews, Laurie Everett of The Indie House and Annie Laurie’s Antiques, and Sherri Jennings of Mississippi Mutts also were honored.

Contreras-Sweet was in Cape Girardeau as part of her Delta Region Main Street Road Tour traveling through the Mississippi River Delta region. The SBA’s Road Tour was a five-day-long trip taking Contreras-Sweet through five states and 11 cities, including Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, and Blytheville, Arkansas. Throughout the tour, the administrator met with small business owners and toured the cities.