The Small Business Administration says Nevada and the nation are on track to set a record for the number of SBA-guaranteed loans issued during fiscal year 2005.

Separately, the National Federation of Independent Business -- a 600,000-member small-business organization -- said a few weeks ago that small-business owners remain optimistic about their companies and the economy.

The SBA is expected to guarantee about 100,000 loans, totaling more than $20 billion, during fiscal year 2005, SBA Administrator Hector Barreto said during a visit to Las Vegas last week.

In Nevada, small-business lenders have approved 648 7(a) and 504 loans, totaling more than $172.4 million, through July 12, which is a record for the state. About 7 percent of Nevada's SBA loans are 60 days or more past due.

"This office is one of my best performing offices," Barreto said of the Nevada district office. "It's normally in the top 10 in all categories."

Las Vegas small-business owner Vicki Muratore obtained a 7(a) loan in May for nearly $2 million to purchase her first warehouse for Las Vegas Gourmet Imports.

"We had outgrown the building we leased so we bought a 22,000-square-foot building," she said, adding that it is the first time her company owned a building.

Her 5-year-old company imports pastry ingredients and distributes them to local restaurants.

While the SBA is proud of its increase in the number and dollar amount of its loans, its greater accomplishment is that many of the loans were approved for women and minorities.

"That's been very important to me," Barreto said. "When I came on board we weren't doing enough in those areas."

Last year the number of loans approved for Asians and Hispanics increased 16 percent for each group and 50 percent for both women and blacks.

"We don't do it because it's the right thing to do -- it's the right thing to do -- but it's the smart thing to do," Barreto said. "These are the fastest-growing business segments."

The SBA also is lending an increasing number of loans valued at less than $35,000 through its flagship loan program -- the 7(a) loan -- and that was a small-business frustration four years ago when loans started at $250,000, Barreto said.

The NFIB surveyed 2,625 of its members and found that the number who say now is a good time to expand increased 4 percentage points on the Small-Business Optimism Index to 22. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

About 40 percent of the survey respondents said they bought new equipment in the last six months, 23 percent added vehicles and 14 percent renovated or expanded their facilities.

More than two-thirds of those surveyed said they had all of their credit needs met, while 5 percent reported having trouble obtaining credit.

In other small-business news

• The Las Vegas chapter of the Service Corps of Retired Executives elected new offices this month. Fred Ehlich was named chairman, Roger Dunivan and John Moon were named vice chairmen, Tom Mayo, became secretary and Bill Graven, became treasurer.

• Marie Callender's recently named Las Vegas businesswoman Bridget Williams as its Nevada franchisee of the year. Williams became a franchisee in 1992 and operates three locations. Her restaurants operate in the top third of all Marie Callender's nationally, the company said in a news release.

Michelle Swafford covers health care and small business for In Business Las Vegas and its sister publication, the Las Vegas Sun. She can be reached by e-mail at swafford@lasvegassun.com or at (702) 259-2326.