Peters Meets with Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce
Peters Meets with Black-owned Businesses on Economic Listening Tour Stop in Detroit
DETROIT, MI – U.S. Senator Gary Peters met today with the Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce and representatives from black-owned businesses for a roundtable discussion in Detroit as part of his Michigan Economic Listening Tour. Peters discussed his priorities for supporting black-owned businesses and heard from local business leaders about the unique challenges facing black-owned firms. As a new member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation and Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committees, Senator Peters is traveling the state meeting with Michigan businesses, educators and workers to hear from different sectors of the state’s economy about how he can best represent them in Washington.
“Black-owned businesses are critical to Michigan’s economy, driving growth and supporting job creation across our state,” said Senator Peters. “As we come together to celebrate Black History Month, we should recognize the tremendous contributions black-owned businesses have made in our communities, and work to ensure that these entrepreneurs have every opportunity to succeed. I look forward to taking what I learned today back to Washington and working with my colleagues to ensure that black-owned businesses have access to the necessary support to continue to growing, creating jobs and strengthening our middle class.”
The Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce (MBCC) is Michigan’s first statewide black chamber of commerce, founded in 2010. Led by William Brooks and Ken Harris, the MBCC’s mission is to economically empower and sustain African–American businesses by advocating for economic development through entrepreneurship, procurement, community reinvestment and professional development. The state of Michigan has more than 72,000 black-owned firms, including 32,000 businesses in the city of Detroit.
“With black-owned businesses growing three times faster than the national average and more than 72,000 African American firms in Michigan, black-owned businesses are the bedrock of Michigan’s economy and play a key role in supporting our state’s economic revitalization,” said Ken Harris, President and CEO of the Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce. “Senator Peters has been a longtime supporter of black-owned businesses, and I want to thank him for recognizing the important role black-owned businesses play in our economy.”
“Black-owned businesses face unique challenges are they get off the ground and as owners seek opportunities to expand and grow. I thank Senator Peters for taking the time to listen to the concerns of black business owners and for his efforts to support black-owned businesses as they work to grow and succeed,” said Pam Rodgers, Chair of the Board of the Directors for the Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce and President and CEO of Rodgers Chevrolet, the largest African American-owned auto dealership in the country.
Below is a photo from Senator Peters’ roundtable with the Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce:
Suggested cutline: Senator Gary Peters with Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ken Harris (on left) and First Independence Bank President and CEO Barry Clay (on right).
Peters has long been a champion of Michigan’s small businesses and start-ups and authored the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), which started in 2010. Many small businesses were struggling to access the resources needed to stay afloat after the recession, and the program leverages significant private capital with targeted federal investments. SSBCI has been a huge success, supporting nearly 100,000 jobs, including 4,000 jobs in Michigan. Over 500 loans have been made here in Michigan and have leveraged more than $430 million in private capital.
As a member of the House, Peters also introduced the Small Business Contracting Opportunities Expansion Act, which would increase the federal government’s contracting goal for all small businesses, including a targeted increase for minority-owned businesses. This would help federal agencies to directly invest in our small businesses, save taxpayer dollars and create jobs.
Peters also supported the JOBS Act, a legislative package designed to jumpstart our economy and restore opportunities for America’s primary job creators: our small businesses, startups and entrepreneurs. The legislation includes provisions allowing for increased use of crowd funding, and the bipartisan bill increases capital formation, spurs the growth of startups and small businesses and paves the way for more small-scale businesses to go public and create more jobs.
###
