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Public Private Strategies Founder & Small Business Roundtable Co-Executive Director Moderates Roundtable Featuring House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Discuss COVID-19 & Small Business

nat rosasco • May 7, 2020

Public Private Strategies Principals Rhett Buttle and Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg led a poignant discussion featuring House Speaker Nancy Pelosi & several national CEOs about COVID-19’s continued implications for small business owners and the potential for future relief efforts by the U.S. Congress.  A full video is above and a written read out is available here
 
Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave remarks on the state of COVID-19 relief efforts in Congress thus far, as well as the direction she would like to see future legislation take. Speaker Pelosi made the call for participants to “know their power” to engage in the legislative process with their local members of Congress to influence change. 
 
Following the Speaker's words, small business owners gave personal accounts of their experiences coping with the COVID-19 crisis:
  • Frank Knapp, the Owner of Carolina Pet Resort, LLC and President of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce
  • Shaundell Newsome, the Founder of Sumnu Marketing, LLC and Chair of the Las Vegas Urban Chamber of Commerce
  • Anne Zimmerman, the Founder and Owner of Zimmerman and Co. CPAs, Inc. and Co-Chair of Businesses for Responsible Tax Reform
Small business leaders kicked off the discussion with specific questions for the Speaker regarding the response to the pandemic:
  • Ramiro Cavazos, the President and CEO of U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC)
  • Jen Earle, the CEO of the National Association of Women's Business Owners (NAWBO)
  • Chiling Tong, the President and CEO of Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE)
Each expressed what they were hearing from their members on the ground and Speaker Pelosi thanked each for their perspective and stated her desire to help. The roundtable then opened up to the entire group of small business leaders present; we heard from:
  • Ron Busby, the President and CEO of U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC)
  • Keith Hall, the President and CEO of the National Association for the Self Employed (NASE)
  • Jill Houghton, the President and CEO of Disability:IN
  • Karen Kerrigan, the President and CEO of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council)
  • Todd McCracken, the President and CEO of the National Small Business Association (NSBA)
  • Aram Nadjarian, the Chair of the NextGen Chamber of Commerce
The leaders touched on their membership's experiences amid COVID-19 and their priorities moving forward. Lastly, Small Business Roundtable Co-Executive Director John Stanford moderated questions from webinar attendees with small business legislative experts:
  • Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg, Principal at Public Private Strategies and Vice President for Government Relations and Public Affairs for NASE
  • LeRoy Cavazos, the Vice President for Government and International Relations for USHCC
Joined by the remaining small business leaders, each discussed potential legislative action in the works.
 
Other Special Partners included:
  • American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC)
  • Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO)
  • Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC)
  • Businesses for Responsible Tax Reform (BRTR)
  • Connected Commerce Council (3C)
  • Latino Business Action Network (LBAN)
  • National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB)
  • National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)
  • Main Street Alliance (MSA)
 
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