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Small businesses are Arizona’s past, present, and future

Arizona is a small business state—a point of pride for many Arizonans. Our state is a place where anyone can come to work hard, build their dreams, and create a lasting legacy.

In 2018, the Small Business Administration (SBA) recorded that Arizona had 553,779 small businesses. At that time, these businesses employed 1 million people across our state.

From supporting 23.1% of Arizona’s $20.9 billion in total exports create thousands of jobs every year. Small businesses are a significant player in Arizona’s economy.

Looking locally, according to the City of Phoenix, more than 95% of the city’s businesses employed 50 people or less. These small businesses are a large part of how our city bounced back after the Great Recession—and they will be the key to moving our city forward in a post-COVID world.

In Phoenix, small businesses have an outsized economic impact. They are leaders in innovation and elevate our community in a number of ways.

Since 1987, the Chamber has honored small businesses through our IMPACT Awards program. Some of our past small business recipients include Elontec, LLC, Equality Health, Crisis Response Network, and Danzeisen Dairy.

A core part of my work and my team’s work at the Chamber is helping small businesses thrive. In the past two months, that mission has not changed, but we’re executing on it in a different way by connecting our businesses with experts and vital resources virtually.

This month, our nation was supposed to celebrate National Small Business Week, typically hosted by the SBA. However, it was postponed due to the current public health situation. For more than 50 years, our nation has taken a week to honor and recognize the great contributions that small businesses make to this country.

And this year, even though the formal recognition of small businesses has been postponed, we can still come together for our small businesses. While we can’t celebrate formally or together in person, we can still celebrate our small businesses by patronizing them in any way we can—ordering takeout, buying gift cards, and shopping online for local pick-up.

By supporting small businesses today—and throughout this crisis—we can ensure that Arizona remains a place where small businesses thrive, where entrepreneurs are rewarded for their ambition, and where innovators are supported.

Join me in supporting Arizona’s small businesses and our economic recovery!