Conference Executive Director J. Thomas Cochran introduced the Small Business/Partner America Task Force Co-chairs by describing the progress the program has made since it was announced in January. "Since the program was announced, we launched the Partner America website, created the task force and named the co-chairs and have hosted several successful small business events," Cochran said.

The Small Business/Partner America™ Task Force Co-Chairs, Rochester Mayor William A. Johnson, Jr., and Akron Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic, provided an update on the Conference’s small business initiative. Their presentation featured a special report from Irvington (NJ) Mayor Sara B. Bost who hosted the first Partner America™ small business conference May 16th. "The feedback I’ve gotten from our local businesses is that the session was very informative and that they want to continue having these types of events which I am committed to doing. In addition to the positive publicity the event generated, it demonstrated to me the need to continue reaching out to the small businesses in my community," Mayor Bost said.

Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic, who chaired the first Small Business/Partner America Task Force meeting Friday morning, emphasized the importance of the Partner America™ small business initiative by reinforcing the crucial role that small businesses play in the local and national economies. "There are 23 million small businesses in the U.S., representing 64% of the 2.5 million annual new jobs." Plusquellic highlighted the Partner America public policy benefits including that it positions cities and metro areas as centers for commerce and advocates for small and mid-sized businesses. "It links Mayors, small businesses, government and private capital access programs, essentially making the Office of the Mayor a one-stop comprehensive resource for small businesses," Mayor Plusquellic noted.

Friday’s Small Business/Partner America™ Task Force meeting was attended by Mayors concerned about how to reach out to the small businesses in their community. Following Mayor Plusquellic’s opening remarks the session evolved into a highly interactive discussion on city small business initiatives and programs that Mayors had implemented in their communities in an effort to work closely with the small business community. Several Mayors committed to hosting small business events in their communities in the coming months.

Mayor Johnson concluded the presentation by encouraging Mayors to get involved with anecdotes from his own community. "There’s no doubt that small business development is crucial to the future of our communities. In 1985, more than 60,000 people in Rochester worked at Kodak. Today, few than 25,000 do. Small business growth picked up the slack. Today, more than half of the Rochester area’s 550,000 employees work in firms of less than 100 people."

American Management’s George A. Cloutier commented, "Rochester is the perfect example of the power of small businesses. If we focus our energies on helping small businesses — not just large businesses — all cities would be as successful as Rochester."

If you are interested in hosting a Partner America™ small business event in your community, please contact Jennifer Johnson, Managing Director, 1-877-778-6726.

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