FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact
Janel Knight Trulear
janel@emccommunications.com
(617) 875-6581

Media Availability: Small business experts and owners across the country available to discuss top small business needs during Small Business Week

During Small Business Week, April 30 - May 6, Small Business for America’s Future leaders and small business members are available to highlight small business success and Main Street’s most pressing policy needs



Washington, D.C., April 27, 2023—During the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) National Small Business Week, which takes place April 30 - May 6, Small Business for America’s Future (SBAF) co-chairs and small business owners across the country are available to discuss Main Street’s policy needs—from avoiding a debt ceiling fight, to lowering healthcare costs and tax reform, to policies that help inflation and workforce issues like quality childcare. 

Bipartisanship is the key to preventing historical damage to our economy. Political brinkmanship on issues like the debt ceiling disproportionately affect small businesses and impede their ability to thrive, create jobs, and drive innovation. Small businesses are credited for all net job growth in the U.S. since the pandemic began. Combined with the recent entrepreneurial boom with over 10.4 million new small businesses starts since 2021, small business owners are the heroes of economic recovery. However, in order to succeed, small business owners need policies that address barriers to growth. 

WHAT: Top issues owners face and solutions they support include:

• Debt ceiling: It is crucial to avoid destabilizing political fights, such as using the debt ceiling as leverage. 78% of small business owners are very concerned with the current state of our democracy.   
• Soaring healthcare costs: Nearly half of small business owners have increased the prices of their goods or services to offset healthcare costs and 79% feel that this is an issue that the nation’s lawmakers need to address
• An unfair tax code: Almost half of small businesses said the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act did not significantly help small businesses grow or invest. With a record 10.2 million new small business starts since 2021, establishing a fair tax code is crucial for their success and for the country to capitalize on the potential economic activity that this boom in entrepreneurship could deliver. 
• Inflation: 90% of small business owners say their businesses have been impacted by inflation and 73% say the Inflation Reduction Act will help ease inflationary pressure 
• Restraints on the workforce: 55% of small business owners believe that the lack of affordable, high-quality child care for employees has had a negative impact on their business, over half have experienced employee turnover as a result. 

WHO: SBAF co-chairs, and small business owners across the country. Co-chairs include:

• Anne Zimmerman, small business CPA and president and founder of Zimmerman & Co. CPAs in Cincinnati & Cleveland, OH
• Erika Gonzalez, M.D., CEO, President, & Co-Founder of South Texas Allergy and Asthma Medical Professionals (STAAMP) and STAAMP Clinical Research and Chair in San Antonio TX, Chair of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Shaundell Newsome, Founder of  Sumnu Marketing in Las Vegas, NV and Chairman of the Board, Las Vegas Urban Chamber of Commerce
• Walt Rowen, President of Susquehanna Glass Co. in Columbia, PA, a business that has been in his family for 111 years. 

Members of the Small Business for America’s Future Business Council and small business owners across the country.

WHEN: During and following the SBA’s Small Business Week, April 30 - May 6.

If you would like to speak with a Small Business for America’s Future Co-chair, contact Janel Knight Trulear at janel@emccommunications.com or 617-875-6581.

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About Small Business for America’s Future
Small Business for America’s Future is a national coalition of small business owners and leaders working to provide small businesses a voice at every level of government. We’re committed to ensuring policymakers prioritize the nation’s 30 million small businesses to create an economy that works for them, their workers and their communities. Visit www.smallbusinessforamericasfuture.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. #SmallBizAF.