When passed into law by Congress, America’s Private Investment Companies (APIC), according to panelist Mr. Buzz Roberts, "is a package that will make a real difference in a lot of places." APIC is a public (a HUD and U.S. Small Business Administration program) and private financial resource through which private businesses can be established in urban and rural low-income communities that have not experienced the fruits of the economic boom, and at the same time help revitalize these distressed areas.

Businesses that wish to participate in APIC will be required to marshal up to $25 million in private capital and then the participant will receive two-times that in government guaranteed debt. It is the ultimate goal of the program that with these funds, new businesses call center, data processing "back office", multitenant shopping center, and the transition of a vacant factory or large department store into an industrial park—will not only provide employment for area residents, but attract the interest of entrepreneurs, other businesses and consumers.

However, APIC is not a reality just yet. Although it has recently passed in the House of Representatives, it must still work its way through halls of the Senate. If APIC does become a reality, as Mr. Roberts said it will help those communities that "really need a jumpstart."