DENVER - The U.S. Small Business Administration has appointed Matt Varilek as regional administrator for Region VIII, which encompasses Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

Varilek replaces Daniel Hannaher, who stepped down in July. Stan Nakano, district administrator in Utah, has been serving as acting administrator for the region.

Varilek most recently served as economic development director in the office of U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D. Varilek was responsible for advising the senator on legislative issues related to small business and entrepreneurship, disaster response, budget and appropriations, and other economic issues.

Varilek has spent his public career serving the people and small businesses of South Dakota, both as a candidate for public office and as an adviser to Sens. Johnson and Tom Daschle. In the private sector, he analyzed energy and environmental commodity market dynamics as director of policy and research for Natsource LLC, a brokerage.

Region VIII, the SBA's most rural region, includes 27 tribal nations and covers more than 500,000 square miles. It has district offices in Denver; Salt Lake City; Helena, Montana; Fargo, North Dakota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Casper, Wyoming.