Hearing the Concerns of Small Business

Senator Patty Murray's staff recently visited three GSBA small businesses to hear about their successes and concerns. Richard de Sam Lazaro, Senator Murray's Seattle Metropolitan Director, and Scott Cheney, Policy Director of Workforce & Economic Development in the Senate's HELP Committee, reached out to GSBA to make the connection.

During the day they visited Repair Revolution in SoDo, SugarPill on Capitol Hill, and Hilliard's Beer in Ballard to hear about the diverse situations faced by each of these businesses.

Karyn Schwartz of SugarPill talked about the big changes occuring in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, and the particular impact on small independent businesses which are too often being squeezed out by rent increases, loss of small retail and commercial space, and the everyday disruptions of rampant construction in every direction. She asked that small businesses like SugarPill receive an even playing field - that elected officials pay just as much attention to the majority of establishments that dominate our city's streetscape as they do to a small number of very large corporations and special interests. All levels of government should be actively supporting  "We shouldn't have to be bigger, places that are human sized should be celebrated."

At Hilliard's Beer, Ryan Hilliard and Adam Merkl talked about a very different set of issues - the West Coast port slowdown over a labor dispute. Hilliard's has begun distribution in Sweden and their shipments have been delayed.

GSBA is regularly contacted by our elected representatives asking to meet with some of our members and hear their concerns. If you would ever be interested in connecting with local, state and national policymakers, contact Matt Landers, our Public Policy & Communications Manager.