The president has declared this week as National Small Business Week in recognition of the important and critical contributions to America’s success by small business owners and entrepreneurs. The week will end Friday with National Small Business Week Awards in Washington, D.C.
More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, which create about two of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.
“Small businesses by their very name often do not have the resources to monitor, advocate, educate and act on matters of importance in Alabama’s and the nation’s capitals,” said BCA President and CEO William J. Canary. “That’s what our Small Business Committee and our staff do so that owners and managers from Waterloo to the Wiregrass and from Bridgeport to Bayou La Batre can concentrate on operating their businesses, serving customers, and growing.”
In Alabama, 87 percent of the Business Council of Alabama members are considered small businesses. The BCA and The Partnership with the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama and its 120-plus chambers of commerce represent more than 1 million working Alabamians.
“Our small businesses represent what is best about our Nation – the idea that with determination and responsibility, anyone can build a better life for themselves and their loved ones,” Obama said in his proclamation. “This week, we recognize the role small businesses play as pillars of our communities and engines of our growing economy, and we rededicate ourselves to fostering the entrepreneurial spirit that has forged the strongest economy the world has ever known.”
The BCA’s Small Business Committee is co-chaired by Rick Roden of the Greater Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and Ron Perkins of Doozer Software Inc. of Hoover.
The BCA’s State Legislative Agenda includes Small Business advocacy. The 2015 State Legislative Agenda for Small Business can be found here.
According to the SBA, 2012 Alabama in 2012 had 386,661 small businesses that employed 764,207 men and women, or about half of the state’s private workforce. Virtually all firms with employees are small, making up 96.8 percent of all employers in the state. In Alabama, small businesses created 24,890 net new jobs in 2012.
During National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration will highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and others from all 50 states and U.S. territories, to grow small businesses, create 21st century jobs, drive innovation, and increase America’s global competitiveness, the SBA said.
SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet is hosting planned events in Los Angeles, San Antonio, New York City, and Washington, D.C. The event will continue through Friday and conclude with recognition of national award winners and the selection of the national Small Business Person of the Year.
The full text of the President’s National Small Business Week proclamation can be found here.
Alabama’s Small Business Administration office is in Birmingham. Its website is: www.sba.gov/offices/district/al/birmingham
-Dana Beyerle