Will this Small Business Saturday top last year’s record awareness, participation?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rae Ann Kelsch, North Dakota State Director, [email protected]
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, [email protected]
BISMARCK, N.D., Nov. 24, 2017—Will tomorrow’s march on Main Street be bigger than last year’s? The representative association for North Dakota’s small-business owners is hoping so.
Started in 2010 by American Express as a spur out of the recession, this will be the 8th Small Business Saturday, and while awareness of the special day has beat each previous year’s percentage, total spending at Main Street shops dipped to $15.4 billion in 2016, down from the record $16.2 billion set in 2015.
“This Saturday, I’m calling on all North Dakotans to turn off your computers, get off your couches, put on your walking shoes and explore the wonderful variety of small-business shops in our community,” said Rae Ann Kelsch, North Dakota state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, a co-sponsor of Small Business Saturday. “You will reap the benefits: fresh air, exercise, burn a few calories, get to know your community and neighbors, and find unique treasures for friends and family!
“In addition, you will contribute some much-appreciated dollars in the cash registers of the small shops located on Main Street. Look, folks, these local businesses are the enterprises that gave most of us our first jobs, sponsored our children’s little league teams, the ones willing to take a chance on — and keep – employees. These small businesses have been the bedrock of our economy since the Great Recession when big businesses produced record layoffs. The money invested in small businesses pays the highest societal dividends: Vibrant communities and jobs for our families and our neighbors.”
A survey by NFIB and American Express on prior years’ participation can be read here and expected participation for tomorrow read here. With 350,000 dues-paying members nationwide, including 2,500 in North Dakota, NFIB is the nation’s largest and leading small-business association. You can follow NFIB/North Dakota on Twitter, NFIB_ND, or on its webpage, www.nfib.com/north-dakota.
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Celebrating its 75th year in 2018, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. NFIB’s educational mission is to remind policymakers that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses; they have very different challenges and priorities.
National Federation of Independent Business/North Dakota
PO Box 7370
Bismarck, N.D. 58507
701-220-0003
www.nfib.com/north-dakota
Twitter: @NFIB_ND
