Governor Martin O'Malley Hosts Rountable Discussion with Eastern Shore Small Business Owners
Governor's second business check-in in as many weeks focuses on the need for Maryland small businesses to remain competitive and profitable in tough times
OCEAN CITY, MD (August 13, 2009) –Governor Martin O’Malley, joined by House Speaker Michael Busch, local elected officials, economic development professionals, and members of the local Chamber of Commerce, conducted a roundtable discussion today with Lower Eastern Shore small business owners, the Governor’s second business check-in in as many weeks. The Governor’s regular business check-in discussions are designed to ensure that small businesses remain competitive and profitable even during tough times.
“Small businesses are the engine of Maryland’s economy, and certainly have not been immune to the impact of this national recession,” said Governor O’Malley. “A strong small business community is critical to weathering this recession, and that’s why we’ve proactively sought the input and guidance from small business owners to address the current economic challenges they face, the barriers to job retention and growth, and the types of reform they need in order to thrive.”
The group discussed several relevant topics, including the impact of the national recession on local small businesses, the need for health care reform so employees of small businesses can have access to affordable, quality health care, and the many resources and services available to Maryland companies looking to grow.
“Small business is the cornerstone of the American economy, responsible for half of all private sector jobs in this country,” said Speaker Michael E. Busch. “As our economic recovery unfolds, we must continue to support our small businesses and learn about how we can help them grow.”
This small business roundtable, held at Ocean City’s Sunset Grille, is the second business check-in roundtable discussion in as many weeks. In late July, Governor O’Malley met with small business owners in Rockville for a similar roundtable. Small businesses comprise 97.7 percent of all employers in Maryland, and employ 53.4 percent of the private sector workforce in our State.
During the roundtable discussion, Governor O’Malley addressed the newly created Small Business Task Force, which will be comprised of 15 small business owners from around Maryland. The Task Force will serve as the Governor’s sounding board on small business issues and will be tasked with providing recommendations to improve State services and resources available to Maryland small businesses, so that they may operate more efficiently and effectively. Attending the roundtable discussion was Wayne Strausberg, member of the Small Business Task Force and owner of The English Company, a series of family restaurants along the Eastern Shore.
The O’Malley-Brown Administration has made progress for Maryland’s small businesses, even in difficult economic times. Last year, Governor O’Malley launched a highly successful program to partner with State agencies, health insurers and small businesses so that more families working in our tremendous small business community can gain access to premium health insurance benefits. In addition, the O’Malley Brown Administration is committed to Maryland’s women and minority-owned businesses, increasing State awards to MBE firms by more than $300 million since taking office.
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