CÁRDENAS, TIPTON INTRODUCE RESOLUTION IN HONOR OF SMALL BUSINESS WEEK
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
CÁRDENAS, TIPTON INTRODUCE RESOLUTION IN HONOR OF SMALL BUSINESS WEEK
WASHINGTON—Stressing the importance of small businesses in strengthening communities and creating local economic opportunities, Congressmen Tony Cárdenas (D-San Fernando Valley)) and Scott Tipton (R-CO) introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives today to recognize the 50th anniversary of National Small Business Week. The President has proclaimed National Small Business Week every year since 1963 to recognize the importance of entrepreneurs and small business.
“National Small Business Week is a way for all Americans to take a closer look at the local businesses in their communities, who create so many jobs in our nation, and say thank you,” said Cárdenas. “As a former small business owner, and a city council member, I have seen the impact in neighborhoods throughout my district when a small, local business opens or closes. Their supply chain is local, their employees have a vested interest in their success and their customers treasure the connection a hometown business brings. I know I echo the entire House when I applaud these small businesses, the risks that they have taken and the successes they have had.”
“From creating jobs in all corners of Colorado, to supporting their communities through philanthropy and service, and improving lives through innovation, small businesses are an integral part of our daily lives,” Tipton said. “National Small Business Week is a great opportunity to support local businesses and recognize the entrepreneurs that sustain our economy and strengthen our communities.”
The 27,200,000 small businesses in the United States are a driving force behind the nation’s economy and economic recovery, creating 2 out of every 3 new jobs. These small businesses represent 99.7 percent of employer firms in the United States and generate more than 50 percent of the nation’s non-farm gross domestic product, while representing more than 97 percent of all exporters and producing 32 percent of exported goods. In addition to creating jobs and economic growth, according to a recent survey, 96 percent of small businesses support the community by giving back through community projects and causes.
Small Business Quotes:
“Small businesses are the backbone of our job resources and are essentially a pathway to the now, more than ever, elusive American Dream,” said Alonso Arellano, owner of two restaurants in Sun Valley, Calif. “Small business needs the constant attention of the US government to make sure that access to loans both micro and jumbo are available for expansion efforts and to obtain real estate where these business can continue to flourish and provide jobs to our communities.”
“People like small business because it is personal, it is unique. We all enjoy unique places that represent us, and our choices drive small business. Those businesses create community in a way that large businesses cannot, simply by being small and personal. Here we proudly wear t-shirts that say ‘Buy Pueblo, Everybody Benefits’ because when you do, we all do,” said Mike Hartkop, Founding Partner, Solar Roast Coffee in Pueblo, Colorado. “The most difficult thing about small business is that we don’t have multi-million dollar budgets. We don’t have a team of lawyers, or thousands of dollars to spend on Government inspections. Every cent we spend on those regulators really is money out of our pockets.”
“What is small business? Small business is community. Research shows that the vast majority of small employers contribute to their communities through volunteering, in-kind contributions, and direct cash donations,” said NFIB Colorado Director Tony Gagliardi. “The estimated average value of contributions made by small business owners is $6,600 per year, with a nationwide scale of roughly $40 billion.”
Tipton, a lifelong small businessman, is a subcommittee chairman in the House Small Business Committee as well as co-founder of the Congressional Small Business Caucus.
Cárdenas is also a small businessman who serves on the House Committee on the Budget, and is the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Task Force on Financial Services, Manufacturing and Commerce.
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