WASHINGTON,
DC – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined Rep. Shontel Brown (OH-11),
Invest in America, and Small Business for America’s Future for a news video
conference call with Ohio small business owners sharing their success stories
due to help from the American Rescue Plan.
Brown
helped
write and pass the
American Rescue Plan which
supported Ohioans through the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic
crisis. It included several programs designed to support small businesses
including the Paycheck Protection Program, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund
(RRF) and Shuttered Venue Operators (SVOG) grant. The Rescue Plan has led to
record job creation and rising wages for American workers.
“I know that Ohio’s small businesses – mom
and pop stores, restaurants, arts venues – have taken some of the hardest hits
in the past two years. These businesses are the backbone of Ohio’s economy.
That’s why I’ve been fighting so hard to make sure they get the support they need,” said Sen. Brown.
“Small
businesses employ nearly half of all Ohioans, and they’re anchors in so many
vibrant neighborhoods, supporting other jobs. Saving these small businesses
doesn’t just help each individual business or worker – supporting small, local
businesses supports our communities.”
According
to the U.S. Small Business Administration, from January to May 2021, Ohio’s
small businesses received more than 200,000 Paycheck Protection Program loans
worth a total of $9 billion. Nearly 3,000 Ohio restaurants received more than
$586 million in RRF funding and more than 600 entertainment venues received
$383 million statewide from SVOG funds. Brown was joined on the call by Rep.
Shontel Brown (OH-11)
“Amid
the depths of the pandemic last year, the American Rescue Plan delivered
desperately-needed relief to workers, families, and small businesses in
Northeast Ohio,”
said Rep. Brown. “The Rescue Plan kept restaurants and live venues afloat,
ensured workers could support their families, and laid the foundation for the
historic economic growth of the last year. We are stronger this year than we
were last year thanks to the American Rescue Plan. And we will be stronger next
year than we are this year thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”
Two
Ohio business owners, Anne Zimmerman, Founder and Owner of Zimmerman & Co
CPAs Inc. which has offices in Cleveland and Cincinnati, and Todd Hamblin, CEO
and Owner of Global Aerospace Design Corp. in Cincinnati, shared their stories
of how the government helped small businesses keep their doors open.
"My
business serves the global commercial aviation industry. When the pandemic
started, our business came to a standstill. In order to stay afloat, we took
advantage of the programs offered as part of the American Rescue Plan like PPP
funding and Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) loans. The first round of PPP
stabilized our business throughout 2020 while the second round helped us retain
what was left of our workforce in 2021," said Todd Hamblin,
President and CEO of Global Aerospace Design Corp based in Cincinnati and Small
Business for America's Future Small Business Council Member. "All
together, the PPP, EIDL and vaccine efforts funded by the American Rescue Plan
are instrumental in my company still being in existence. I feel this can also
be said for many other small businesses in Ohio."
"When
the pandemic began, a third of small businesses answering a national Small
Business for America's Future survey said they would only last a few months
without some sort of support. There are 980,000 in Ohio, employing 2.2 million
people. Losing a third of those businesses in a matter of months would have
been devastating," said Small Business for America's Future Co-Chair
Anne Zimmerman, owner of Zimmerman & Co. CPAs in Cincinnati and Cleveland. "I
can tell you without a doubt many of my customers would not be here today if it
weren’t for the programs in the American Rescue Plan like the Paycheck
Protection Program and EIDL loans that gave them a lifeline."
Invest
in America participated in today’s call. It’s a national rapid response
operation that advocates for public investment to rescue the economy from the
COVID crisis and create prosperity for the future.
Small
Business for America’s Future is a national coalition of small business owners
and leaders working to provide small businesses a voice at every level of
government.
Following
the call, Invest in America released its Ohio small business report showing how
the American Rescue Plan helped businesses survive the pandemic. It can be found
here.
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