Letter: Small Business Week May 5-11

Isabelle Renault, President and CEO
St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce

Dear Historic City News editor:

The St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce is celebrating National Small Business Week from May 5 until May 11 and will be recognizing the many significant contributions that small business owners and their employees make in our community.  Please join us by making a commitment to “shop small”.

Small businesses are the true economic engines of our national economy. There are 30 million small businesses in the US.

• 65 percent of all new jobs created are created by small business
• 55 percent of Americans work for or own a small business
• For every $100 spent at a small business, $68 go back to the community

In St. Johns County alone, there are several thousand small businesses employing tens of thousands of people. They are an integral part of our healthy and thriving economy.  Our county is truly a reflection of how important small business is to our country.

Over the course of Small Business Week, I encourage the community to make it a point to shop with the locally-owned store or coffee shop on the corner, go out to eat at a restaurant that was established here in St. Johns County and post a positive review, or consider using a local accountant or attorney for your professional service needs.  These are just a few of the ways you can express your appreciation to those small businesses, the very fabric of our community.

Isabelle Renault, President St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce

Small, local businesses are vital contributors and help strengthen the economic vitality of our county and region.  Small business owners are well represented in our Chamber leadership and are a tremendous part of our organization. They play a crucial role in helping the Chamber achieve its goals of:

• Increasing capacity to adapt
• Making a greater impact
• Be a known influencer

We are honored to  support new and expanding small businesses through a variety of programming, such as our seven chamber business councils which serve a cross section of industry types and business sizes; our on demand webinar series which allows members to access business training at a time that works best for them, and our “Pitch Factory” program, which provides both new and existing businesses the opportunity to refine their business pitch to prospective clients and customers.