Partner Americaª announced a new component of their small business initiative, "Best Small Business Practices" during Thursday's opening plenary. Over three dozen cities submitted their ideas about programs and activities that have proven successful in connecting the Mayor with their local small business community. The programs were published in a directory that was released at the 69th Annual Winter Meeting in Washington, DC in an effort to encourage Mayors to implement similar programs in their cities and to inspire new ideas.

U.S. Conference of Mayors President Boise Mayor H. Brent Coles remarked that "we are very pleased to have such a positive response to this new component of the Partner Americaª small business/city resource initiative." Practices ranged from informal breakfast meetings with local small business leaders hosted by the Mayor to comprehensive small business resource centers offering a range of services and programs from one central location. The directory offers a wide range of ideas - something for every size of city and budget.

Four Mayors that submitted a "best small business practice," were invited to present at the opening plenary session: Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street, Orlando Mayor Glenda E. Hood, Forth Worth Mayor Kenneth L. Barr and Richmond (CA) Mayor Rosemary M. Corbin. Two Mayors presented, Mayor Corbin and Mayor Barr. Mayors Street and Hood declined due to scheduling conflicts. Mayor Corbin talked about her visits to local small businesses, "the monthly visits to businesses by me and the CEO of the Richmond ChamberÉ have reinforced the fact that we value every member of our business community. As a result of our concern, businesses have been more likely to stay in Richmond and become involved in the community. "Forth Worth Mayor Barr's presentation focused on the success of their one-stop shop, "Entrepreneur Magazine rates Fort Worth as the #1 place in the country to own a business, giving us credit for our ability to Ôinspire start-ups, encourage expansion of existing firms and limit the risk of failure.' I credit the Fort Worth Business assistance Center (the BAC) for providing those services in a one-stop shop. The BAC addresses the needs of a large, diverse group of local entrepreneurs. This network of business professionals functions as a coordinated team to provide small, minority and women-owned businesses with the best information, training and technical assistance available."

Partner Americaª is designed to focus on the importance of small business to the local and national economy. "Because small business is the backbone of the economy," stated George A. Cloutier, Partner Americaª chairman and American Management Services chairman and chief executive officer, "we want to link Mayors with their small businesses. With over 23 million small businesses in the US, this is an important constituency that must not be overlooked."

Wednesday's Small Business/Partner Americaª Task Force meeting was a productive dialogue about the program and the benefits to Mayors and their cities. Conference Executive Director J. Thomas Cochran told the group "we look forward to an ongoing partnership and this program will continue to be a major focus of this organization." Several Mayors that have hosted Partner Americaª small business events described how as a result of their event they learned about resources and programs that were available. Stamford Mayor Dannell P. Malloy stated that following the roundtable he hosted in Stamford, he established a local small business commission to advise him on matters that affect the small business community. Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello stated that hosting an event led them to take several additional steps in an effort to make more resources available to the small business community. Mayors that hosted events, including Task Force Co-Chair Rochester Mayor William A. Johnson Jr., encouraged others to take advantage of the program.