Biden declared the week of Sept. 12-19, 2021 as National Small Business Week, and this week kicks off the NSBW 2021 Virtual Summit.
Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, is set to preside over the start of National Small Business Week today, spotlighting the resiliency of America’s entrepreneurs and the renewal of America’s small business economy as they build back better from the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Joe Biden, in his proclamation declaring September 12-18, 2021 as National Small Business Week, stated, “The American entrepreneurial spirit is a defining quality of our Nation which time and again has lifted us to new heights and carried us through our greatest challenges. Small businesses are not only the engines of our economic progress — they are the heart and soul of our communities. During National Small Business Week, we celebrate our Nation’s small businesses — the pillars of their neighborhoods.”
“When the COVID-19 pandemic first struck last year, it posed a historic challenge to America’s small businesses. From coast to coast, in big cities, small towns, rural enclaves, and Tribal communities, small business owners and workers demonstrated remarkable courage and resilience, adapting to sudden changes in our way of life and stepping up to serve their communities. Across the country, small businesses extended helping hands to their neighbors during the pandemic’s darkest hours, all while entrepreneurs and employees worked tirelessly around the clock to keep their businesses afloat, make payroll, and ensure the safety of their teams and customers.”
This sets the theme of National Small Business Week 2021: Celebrating Resilience and Renewal. The virtual summit begins today, September 13 and continues through September 15, 2021. The event’s full slate of speakers will also include keynotes from entrepreneur Mark Cuban, Chef José Andrés, and White House Senior Advisor and Director of the Office of Public Engagement Cedric Richmond.
Administrator Guzman will kick off National Small Business Week with an opening address later today, September 13. She will be joined throughout the virtual event by other prominent speakers and panelists, including Los Angeles, CA Mayor Eric Garcetti; Austin, TX Mayor Steve Adler; Tucson, AZ Mayor Regina Romero; Chicago, IL Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot; Tarik Brooks, President of Combs Enterprises and Oisin Hanrahan, Chief Executive Officer of Angi’s.
To register for the National Small Business Week Virtual Summit and participate in summit workshops, please visit http://www.sba.gov/NSBW. All events will be live-streamed and will use the event hashtag #SmallBusinessWeek throughout social media.
Co-sponsors for National Small Business Week (NSBW), a virtual summit spotlighting the resilience of America’s entrepreneurs and the renewal of the small business economy as they build back better from the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic, provide the resources to make this recognition week of America’s 32.5 million small businesses possible. They include Co-Chair: SCORE, Gold Sponsors: VISA U.S.A. Inc., Silver Sponsors: Amazon.com Services, LLC, Constant Contact, Inc., Facebook, Inc., Google, LLC, MetLife, Square, Inc., Bronze: ADP, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, T-Mobile USA, Inc., The UPS Store, Inc. and Zebra Technologies.
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