SALT LAKE CITY — A women-owned small business is thriving and shipping its products around the world with a product to help wildlife.
Kaddas Enterprises produces a plastic product called a “bird guard.”
The device is installed on power poles and electrical substations. It protects wildlife from electrical currents while also preventing power outages.
“20 percent of all power outages across the United States are caused because of animal interaction,” said Natalie Kaddas, CEO of Kaddas Enterprises. “Our goal is to prevent 20 percent of all power outages globally.”
The Kaddas Enterprises facility in Salt Lake City can produce about 70,000 products a week.
“I don’t think about being a women-owned business,” Kaddas said. “We started in 1966. We are now shipping into 15 countries and our products can be found in all 50 states.”
From humble beginnings, the company now occupies a space approaching 100,000 square feet and employs more than 60 people.
“It’s well known that the small business community is the economic engine of the American economy,” Kaddas said.
She believes there is room for more growth.
“Having the S.B.A. [Small Business Administration] reauthorized is going to be a critical component. It hasn't been reauthorized since the year 2000,” Kaddas said.
She described a long, burdensome process of getting certified for federal contracts.
“It takes weeks, if not months to put paperwork together to get certification,” Kaddas said. “If you aren't getting federal contracts, you have to ask if it is worth the resources.”
According to the S.B.A., the federal government has a goal of awarding 5 percent of its contracts to women-owned small businesses. A search of public records reveals the goal has been met two times since 1995.
“They [small business owners] all say the same thing, it's just incredibly challenging and most have given up on trying for federal contracts because the process is convoluted and they don’t have a lot of confidence that they even stand a chance,” said Joe Wall, a director for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices program.
When asked why the 5 percent goal is rarely met, the Small Business Administration responded with a statement saying, “Based on SBA’s analysis, agency-level contract bundling over the past decade has disproportionately impacted women-owned firms and contributed to the federal government falling short of the 5% goal.”
The statement added that since 2022, the list of eligible industries has grown from 444 to more than 700 to create more opportunities.
Kaddas hopes the process can be modernized and simplified.
With or without the support of the S.B.A. or federal contracts, her company isn’t slowing down.
“I am proud of our team, proud of our products, proud of our process, proud of being in the state of Utah where it is a business-friendly environment,” Kaddas said.
She is also proud of what the company is achieving in a challenging and competitive environment.
“I look at it as a David and Goliath story,” Kaddas said. “If I am underestimated, I am at an advantage, so we keep moving forward”
Kaddas isn’t alone in her beliefs about the S.B.A. According to a survey conducted by the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices program, 89 percent of women-owned small businesses do not feel like they are on a level playing field compared to male-owned businesses.
