Small Business & Community Roundtables
Small businesses are staples of our communities and the backbone of rural America. However, small businesses have also taken the hardest hit from COVID’s impact and we must continue doing all we can to help them as we continue to fight this disease. In order to hear from small businesses directly while providing the latest in innovative ideas, I will be hosting a series of Small Business & Community Roundtables on November 9, 10, 12, and 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (CST) / 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. (MST).
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, our economy was at record highs, and businesses small and large were prospering. Now, due to unforeseen circumstances, our communities are faced with significant obstacles, but we know it will be our small businesses which bring us back. Efforts such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) – created by the CARES Act – have saved over 51 million jobs, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
While programs such as the PPP have been able to help many small businesses stay afloat during the pandemic, it is the knowledge and hard work of our employers and workforce which have made a huge difference in our economic comeback and our communities. In order to help small business owners further, the four panels will focus on issues I deal with daily in my work on the Ways and Means Committee – health, creating opportunities for economic growth, and trade. Here is a list of the dates, times, topics, and special guests:
Creating a Healthy Community Roundtable
- Monday, November 9
- 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (CST) / 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. (MST)
- Special Guests: Michelle Wineinger, Representative, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Leslie Marsh, CEO, Lexington Regional Health Center; Jim Ulrich, CEO, York General Health Care Services
Growing a Small Business Roundtable
- Tuesday, November 10
- 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (CST) / 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. (MST)
- Special Guests: Dell Gines, Senior Community Development Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City-Omaha Branch; Janell Anderson Ehrke, CEO, GROW Nebraska Foundation; Andrew Vrbas, CEO, Pacha Soap; Kevin Griffith, CEO, Amplifi Capital
Developing Your Local Economy and Workforce Roundtable
- Thursday, November 12
- 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (CST) / 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. (MST)
- Special Guests: Leon Milobar, Nebraska District Director, Small Business Administration; Starr Lehl, Economic Development Director, City of Scottsbluff; Oscar Gomez, Assistant City Administrator, City of South Sioux City
Innovating Opportunity Through Trade Roundtable
- Friday, November 13
- 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (CST) / 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. (MST)
- Special Guests: The Honorable Ted McKinney, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Services; Norm Krug, Founder/CEO, Preferred Popcorn; Kirk Zeller, DBA, Founder, Silicon Prairie Center
In order to provide these panels in a safe, socially-distanced format, they will be held online. To participate constituents must pre-register for each individual session through links available at http://adriansmith.house.gov/SBCRoundtable2020.
I am confident that if we open up our economy safely and securely, we will be able to bring it back to where it was before the pandemic. Individuals like you have important ideas worth sharing and I ask that you please join me at our Small Business & Community Roundtables. I look forward to hearing from you!