ALBANY, NY – Business leaders from across New York met with elected officials in Albany for NFIB of NY’s Small Business Day. This event, attended by approximately 100 small business owners, presented an opportunity for these hardworking men and women to advocate for reforms that will create jobs and grow the state’s economy.
“Small businesses are the essential fabric of every community and New York and the impact they have on our economy is substantial,” said Mike Durant, NFIB/NY State Director. “It is imperative that lawmakers respond to the concerns of small employers and work diligently to ensure costly mandates are avoided and barriers for growth are removed. We appreciate the commitment and collaboration our partners in the business community have shown in helping promote this important day and we are confident the voice of small business will be heard loud and clear today in Albany.”
NFIB/NY State Director Mike Durant
Prior to meeting with elected officials in the state Capitol, Small Business Day participants heard from keynote speaker Jonathan Williams and Senator George Amedore.
ALEC’s Jonathan Williams addresses small business owners and advocates.
Williams is the Vice President for the Center for State Fiscal Reform at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), where he works with state policymakers, congressional leaders and members of the private sector to develop fiscal policy solutions. Williams also co-authors Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer Economic State Competitiveness Index with Reagan economist Dr. Arthur Laffer and Stephen Moore. He has testified before numerous legislative bodies, is a frequent guest on talk radio programs and has appeared on numerous television outlets, including the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Fox Business News and Bloomberg News.
Amedore is a two-term Senator representing the 46th Senate District. He is also Vice President of Amedore Homes – a family-owned residential homebuilder in the Capital Region.
Small Business Day attendees called on lawmakers to enact measures that would lower taxes, ease regulations and promote private sector job growth.
“The Workers’ Comp reforms enacted this year show what happens when New York’s small businesses speak with a unified voice and demand change,” said Heather C. Briccetti, Esq., president and CEO of The Business Council of New York State, Inc. “While this year’s reforms are substantive, and will result in hundreds of millions of dollars in annual savings, our work is not done. Whether it’s beating back onerous regulations, reducing one of the
nation’s highest combined tax burdens, or ensuring our state’s job creators have a voice in Albany, the employers and organizations represented here today will continue to fight. We thank the NFIB for organizing this event and the lawmakers who support our agenda.”
“Independent businesses of all kinds drive the Upstate economy and define the character of our communities. Rather than embrace the small business economy and support its growth, Albany often saddles these employers with an ever-growing litany of taxes, fees, mandates and regulations,” said Greg Biryla, executive director of Unshackle Upstate. “We’re proud to join with business owners from across the Empire State to advocate for lower taxes, regulatory relief and other measures that will empower small businesses and help Upstate thrive in a 21st century global economy.”
“ABC is proud to be part of Small Business Day at the Capitol. Many contractors are small businesses that employ thousands of workers in the Empire State,” said Brian Sampson, President of Associated Builders and Contractors, Empire State Chapter. We want to see the draconian Scaffold Law modernized, a halt to prevailing wage expansion and other measures be taken to create more opportunity and investment in our economy. If Albany would do those things, it would create more jobs for New York’s construction workers.”
“New York’s family farms are the small businesses that help drive the rural economies Upstate and on Long Island. Investing in agriculture is investing in job creation, nearly 200,000 jobs in the farm sector alone in New York State. That spending power then generates additional income throughout rural communities. We encourage lawmakers to address needed reforms, like updating the scaffolding law, that will improve the business climate in New York State. A stronger economy benefits employers and employees alike,” said David Fisher, New York Farm Bureau President.
“Small and mid-size businesses drive job growth in most communities in New York State. For example, eighty percent of new jobs come from new, small and mid-size businesses. Their owners are innovators, neighbors, community leaders and mentors,” said Brian McMahon, executive director of the New York State Economic Development Council. “They are defined by their work ethic and contributions they make to their community. To the extent New York State enacts policies that encourage small businesses to grow, our communities will create new jobs and grow their tax base.”
According to a 2016 report from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, New York’s 451,000 small businesses support 3.9 million jobs and generate $950 billion in annual receipts. Of all small businesses in the state, almost two-thirds had fewer than five employees, and over 80 percent had fewer than ten employees.
The report concludes: “Encompassing a large majority of enterprises and providing nearly half of private employment, small businesses drive economic growth and contribute to the quality of life in communities across New York and the nation.”
