“In Their Own Words” Videos Feature NFIB Members Concerned About Inflation and Staffing Shortages

Date: May 05, 2022

Video series features NFIB members from around the country speaking out against tax increases and new mandates

NFIB recently released two In Their Own Words videos featuring Ronnie Berry, Chief People Officer for City Barbeque in Ohio and John Sullivan, owner of Dana Wallboard Supply Inc. in Massachusetts.

City Barbeque originally opened in Columbus in 1999 and now has 55 restaurants across eight states. Ronnie explains how inflation has been a major concern for their business. “Over the last several months you’re seeing inflation, not just in wage, but in our cost of goods. The cost of proteins for us, which our business centers around smoking premium meats, and making them available for our guests who love City Barbeque. And we continue to do that but there is certainly a cost to us on our side and in some cases, you’re passing the cost on to the consumer where prices go up because you have to continue to run your business. So, inflation is a big concern, certainly for us. Both on how it’s affecting wage and how it’s affecting supply chains.”

John describes the impact that staffing shortages and supply chain disruptions have had on his business.

“When you start taking gross profit away from us, we make some really tough decisions. Some decisions that devastate people’s lives. When you back everything out, you realize that you don’t make very much at the end of the day, and I think that’s the fallacy in the discussions that are had away from small businesses. Everyone looks at the tax return and says ‘look at how much money they made’ but what they never look at is what is the net. Net that you were able to earn on all of the stress, especially today, that we go through, all the risk that we now take on. Which, by the way, it’s never been riskier to be a small business than it is right now.”

John also pointed out the support his business gives to the local community. “I don’t know if people realize we’re the folks that sponsor all these local things: Little League, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts…when the high schools call to support the yearbook and their sports teams. It’s not Google. It’s not Apple. It’s us. We’re the folks.”

The video series In Their Own Words features small business owners from around the country. It is part of NFIB’s Small Business Survival campaign, a coordinated advocacy effort that highlights why tax increases would be harmful to America’s small businesses while holding members of Congress accountable for their support of tax hikes and mandates.

In March, the Biden Administration announced its 2023 budget request to Congress, which proposes substantial tax increases above and beyond the tax increases and mandates included in the Build Back Better Act. The proposals include increasing the corporate tax rate to 28%, creating a double death tax by increasing capital gains taxes and repealing stepped-up basis tax treatment, and more. To join in the fight against harmful tax increases and new mandates being considered in Congress, please consider emailing your U.S. Senators and Representative your concerns.

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