Congressman Andrews Hosts Small Business Roundtable Focused on Job Growth

Haddon Heights, NJ – Earlier this week, Congressman Andrews hosted a discussion with South Jersey small business owners to listen to their concerns and hear their suggestions on how to help them expand and grow jobs. Small businesses are the engine for American jobs and they have served as the path to economic security, growth, and personal success for countless workers and entrepreneurs. As America struggles to fight its way out of this recession, the Congressman called the meeting because in order to rebound the needs of small businesses cannot be overlooked.

Article below reprinted from the Gloucester County times:

Small business owners will not be swept under the rug in today’s trying economy, or at least that’s what U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, D-1st Dist., hopes to convey to his constituents.

Monday morning, Andrews met at the Ferry Terminal office building along Camden’s waterfront with over a dozen South Jersey small business representatives to hear their concerns and carry their messages to President Barack Obama.

“I’m here to listen,” Andrews said to a smaller but diverse crowd of businesses owners and the credit companies that dole out loans.

“We need to create an environment where you can thrive and prosper; we cannot divide everything into Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, and liberals,” he said. “I’m for whatever works.”

For business owners like Franco Tarantini of Tarantini Panzarotti, “whatever works” needs to happen sooner rather than later.

Tarantini’s Cherry Hill-based family business has been doing well in Tarantini’s eyes.

However, Tarantini believes business now remains stagnant in part because of the difficulty to obtain a loan and buy a property in Camden, a move which he believes would allow him to create about 20 more jobs in a city whose persistent redevelopment efforts could use the extra business.

“Today, it seems the bigger the bank is, the harder it is to borrow money,” he said, comparing it to the days of yore, when a bank looked at your assets, shook your hand, and called it a day. “They want your first born now.”

Andrews emphasized the importance of focusing on smaller businesses because while they are responsible for creating two-thirds of the jobs in America, he believes they only receive about 5 percent of the attention.

“When it comes to the little people, we never get the help we need,” Tarantini said. “Big corporations get a break, and sometimes it’s like (they) don’t even need the help.”

Among other concerns Andrews anticipated discussing, health insurance policies and the ever-increasing premiums employers pay and the lack of confidence in the government.

“We’re afraid of the government and their inability to accomplish anything,” CTB Systems’ Dave Mickelson candidly said. Mickelson also mentioned the annoyance of frequently switching health insurance companies to keep up with perpetual price increases.

According to the Small Business Association, premiums for small businesses are about 18 percent higher on average than what large businesses pay for the same coverage. Though Obama signed health reform legislation last year that promised to reduce that burden, small businesses are still feeling the brunt.

“If I had time to play that game, I wouldn’t be running a small business,” Mickelson said.

Other concerns stemmed from outsourcing and the nation’s snail-paced rate of policy-making.

“I fully understand that we have a crisis of confidence in the country,” Andrews said, adding, “The only way to overcome that is to actually do the things we talk about.”

Andrews insists that Congress should push aside their disagreements and vote on what they can compromise. He also suggested the country invest billions of dollars more into antibiotics and biotechnology, something that can bring income back to the U.S.

Roundtable participants said the meeting touched on all the topics they’ve been concerned with and were appreciative for the effort put forth.

According to Andrews, he’s met with 50 small business reps within the last two weeks to focus on how to keep businesses competitive and jobs available.

About 200 Democratic congress members set a goal to speak with 10,000 small-business owners across the country over a 10-day span of time, although Andrews insists that the urgency of job creation and a lifesaver for the nation’s middle class shouldn’t be about party affiliation.

“(We must preserve) the survival of the middle class, because we’re not going to have one in 10 to 15 years if we don’t fix this problem now,” Andrews said. “And you won’t recognize the country if that happens.”

Bautista, Jessica. "Small Business Owners Discuss Concerns with U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews."Gloucester County Times - NJ.com. 4 Oct. 2011. Web. 4 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/index.ssf/2011/10/small_business_owners_discuss.html>.

                                                             ###

Return to the Washington Updates Page