Beth Harshfield says she's concerned that her company will lose out on some government contracts now that two experienced people have left the Wichita Small Business Administration office.

On Sept. 30, Iris Newton, a 16-year business opportunity specialist in minority enterprise development, put in her last day at SBA. She was among 120 people in the agency to take the early retirement buyout, the second buyout in the past year, says Elizabeth Auer, SBA's Wichita District director.

In March, Ed Poindexter, an expert in government contracting and working with disadvantaged businesses, also took a buyout.

Their departures come after agency budget cuts.

Harshfield, owner of Exhibit Arts LLC, says she worries that the cuts are taking away the expertise she's relied on to win government contracts.

Auer says the departure of Newton, who took over Poindexter's role in working with disadvantaged businesses and government contracting, will, for a short time, affect the office's ability to serve clients.

"But as people get trained and familiar with the program areas, we'll get back up to speed," Auer says.

Harshfield fears that in the interim, some contracts will bypass her firm and the 14 others that are in the SBA's 8(a) program that helps socially and economically disadvantaged businesses.

Auer says it's not a given that an 8(a) company will be flush with government contracts, or that the SBA's job is to seek out and steer contracts their way. But Harshfield says Poindexter and Newton organized events where 8(a) companies could pitch their services to contracting officers from federal agencies. They would also seek out contracts.

"Even the last week (Newton) was here she notified me of a potential opportunity," Harshfield says. "They were basically working out there to bring contracts to 8(a) businesses and other businesses."

Cleo Littleton, an 8(a) graduate in 2004, says he depended upon Poindexter's and Newton's expertise and contacts whenever his company, Litco Inc., had problems with one of its government contracts.

Auer says there was little time to train Newton's replacements, who already hold other job duties. Pat Carney is taking over the 8(a) program, and Vanessa Klein has Newton's spokeswoman and women's business ownership representative duties.

The buyouts come as the agency's budget continues to be trimmed, from $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2001 to $593 million in FY 2006. In that same period, agency-wide employment has fallen from 3,315 to 2,813: Locally it's declined from 21 to 12.