Business owners converge on state capitol for Small Business Day
Feb 5, 2015, 5:25 AM | Updated: 5:25 am
PHOENIX — Governor Doug Ducey proclaimed Wednesday, Feb. 4 as Small Business Day.
The proclamation was read to 125 small business owners during the 2015 Small Business Day, which is an annual event at the Arizona State Capitol. They were there meeting with state lawmakers to talk about laws that their companies
Farrell Quinlan is the Arizona State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business. He said that many small business owners are struggling in Arizona.
“They don’t have some of the advantages that big businesses do. (Big businesses) have a lot of capital behind them and are publicly traded,” said Quinlan. “A lot of small business owners take out loans against their homes and against their 401k plans.”
But Quinlan said that things are getting better.
“In Arizona, it’s generally a positive place for small businesses to operate,” Quinlan said. “We have a very pro-small business legislature, and the new governor has made regulatory reform and getting the government off of our backs a very high priority.”
Small business owners are supporting a bill that is currently in the legislature that would give them the chance to repair any problems found at their businesses before they face state fines.
“What we’re hoping is that this will change the regulatory or corporate culture within Arizona agencies so that they’re about compliance, cooperation, and education instead of about punishment and flexibility,” Quinlan said.
