Air Date
May 4, 2023
Featured Guests
Neil Bradley
Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer, and Head of Strategic Advocacy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Sara Armstrong
Vice President and Managing Director, Federation Relations and Coalition Partnerships, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Moderator
Tom Sullivan
Vice President, Small Business Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
At the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s CO— Strategy Studio: Small Business Day event, three Chamber policy experts discussed the various ways the Chamber is working tirelessly to support the small business community in a time of increasing uncertainty.
Tom Sullivan, Vice President of Small Business Policy, moderated a discussion between Sara Armstrong, Vice President and Managing Director of Federation Relations and Grassroots Advocacy, and Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer, about the critical priorities among the small business community.
Armstrong spoke about the many workforce challenges facing small businesses across the country. Due to the country's broken immigration system and many other contributing factors, small businesses struggle to fill open jobs. Armstrong explained that while we fight to secure our borders and rebuild our immigration system, entrepreneurs work with “local officials, high schools, colleges, and technical institutions that are training the future workforce,” Armstrong noted.
“When I talk to state and local chambers across the country, … workforce is the most important thing that they hear from their members,' Armstrong said.
Additionally, many businesses are taking advantage of second-chance hiring opportunities and those coming out of retirement as inflation continues to rise.
“Our goal at the U.S. Chamber is for small businesses not to have to spend five minutes thinking about Washington, D.C.," Bradley said. "That’s time that you’re not able to spend thinking about running your business, meeting your customers’ demands, taking care of your employees, contributing to your community — all the things that only you can do.”
Bradley spoke about the mission behind the Chamber's work for the small business community. He highlighted the many areas in which the U.S. Chamber is working with lawmakers to improve the business community. From taxes and overregulation to the state of the banking system, Bradley explained why it is fighting for small businesses in Congress so you don’t have to.
Check out the U.S. Chamber's America’s Top Small Business competition and apply today.
