ServiceMaster by Simons President Accepted into Goldman Sachs Small Business Program

ServiceMaster by Simons President Nasutsa Mabwa was recently accepted into Goldman Sachs's

10,000 Small Businesses program

, which provides education and support to qualified small businesses in the U.S. and U.K.

Mabwa was one of 37 small business CEOs selected to join the program in the Chicago area.

"I'm excited and grateful for this opportunity and look forward to learning and implementing new strategies to bring strength and growth to our company," Mabwa said. "I am confident that our company will benefit tremendously from this wonderful opportunity."

In Chicago, 10,000 Small Businesses is hosted by

Harold Washington College

. The program consists of a series of weekly day-long seminars beginning in January and culminating with a graduation ceremony in April. Goldman Sachs also hosts 10,000 Small Businesses programs in ten other cities across the country.

On its website, Goldman Sachs notes that small businesses make up 99.7 percent of all employer firms in the U.S. and account for 64 percent of net new jobs in the past 15 years. In total, 10,000 Small Businesses is a $500 million investment by the multinational investment banking firm. Over 2,500 U.S. small businesses have completed the program to date, along with over 800 companies in the U.K.

The program will give Mabwa valuable information, connections, and resources to grow ServiceMaster by Simons and create new jobs. Mabwa

joined ServiceMaster by Simons earlier this year

. Her previous professional experience includes real estate development and urban planning.