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Hagan announces members of her Small Business Advisory Committee
Story Date: 5/31/2013
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Source: PRESS RELEASE, 5/30/13
U.S. Senator Kay Hagan today announced the full membership of her recently formed Small Business Advisory Committee. The Small Business Advisory Committee was created in March to advise Hagan on legislative issues and assist her in the development of policy proposals to support North Carolina's small businesses.
“This Committee is made up of small business owners and advocates from across North Carolina whose diverse experience will help me support North Carolina small businesses,” said Hagan. “My work in the Senate is informed by the input I get at home in North Carolina, and that is especially true for small business owners whose feedback on everything from regulations to lending climate is key to growing our economy. I look forward to working with all the Committee members to help create a better environment to help our small businesses grow and get North Carolina back to work.”
The Advisory Committee will be led by four co-chairs announced in March and comprised of small business owners and advocates from across the state who will meet regularly with Senator Hagan and her staff. The full Committee has already held one teleconference meeting with top Hagan staff.
Committee Co-Chairs:
· John Cooper, Mast General Stores, Boone
· Andrea Harris, NC Institute of Minority Economic Development, Durham
· Paul Wetenhall, Ventureprise, Charlotte
· Oscar Wong, Highland Brewery, Asheville
Committee Members:
· Brooks Bell, BrooksBell, Raleigh
· Leah Brown, A10 Clinical Solutions, Cary
· Astrid Chirinos, Latin American Chamber of Commerce, Charlotte
· Jeff Frushtick, Leonard Automatics, Denver
· Sam Funchess, Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship, Greensboro
· Christopher Gergen, Forward Impact, Durham
· Nancy Gottovi, STARWorks/Central Park NC, Star
· Jim Johnson, UNC Kenan Flagler Center, Chapel Hill
· Victor Lytvinenko, Raleigh Denim, Raleigh
· Louise McColl, McColl & Associates, Wilmington
· Sandra O'Connor, Allen Tate Realtors, Greensboro
· Bernice Pitt, Ace Hardware, Tarboro
· Larry Shaw, Shaw Farms, Wallace
During her time in the Senate, Hagan has worked to support small business in North Carolina. She supported measures that increase access to capital for small business owners looking to grow their companies, and she supported the Jumpstart Our Businesses Startups (JOBS) Act, which makes it easier for companies to raise money, go public and hire more workers.
Last year, Hagan introduced the Small Business Common Application Act to reduce the paperwork burden that small businesses face when applying for federal assistance by establishing a common application. Hagan introduced the bill after a Small Business Administration study revealed that businesses with less than 20 employees spend more than $10,500 per employee to comply with federal regulations.
Hagan also fought for the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, which doesn't add one dime to the deficit and has supported $2 billion in export sales by 165 North Carolina companies, the majority of which are small businesses.
In March, Hagan introduced the bipartisan AMERICA Works Act, a commonsense jobs bill to help address the skills gap and ensure that workers are being trained for the jobs that are available now. The legislation, which is supported by the National Association of Manufacturers and many other associations, employers and educators, establishes a national industry-recognized credentialing system that ties the needs of American businesses to the curriculums of community colleges and job-training centers - matching the skills training with the needs of employers. By getting to the core of the skills gap, Hagan's bill ensures businesses small and large have a pool of qualified workers to fill their open positions.
Hagan is an original co-sponsor of a bill that would permanently extend the 15-year tax depreciation period for leasehold improvements, restaurant improvements and new construction and retail improvements. This legislation will give companies the certainty they need to invest in updating their businesses and expanding. These capital investments fuel economic activity and create jobs. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, every dollar spent in the construction industry generates an additional $2.39 in spending in the rest of the economy.
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