Congressman Bob Turner (R-Queens) and the Queens Chamber of Commerce hosted a small-business roundtable with local small business owners at Shalimar Diner, on Austin Street, in Rego Park, Wednesday morning.
“Small businesses are the engines of our economy. If we wish to revitalize the American economy to its former strength, we must provide small businesses the means to grow and thrive,” Turner said.
During the breakfast, the Congressman noted his own personal business background and the challenges of creating a business, trying to grow a business, and managing a business from employee health care plans to access to capital.
Queens Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jack Friedman, said, “We appreciate Congressman Turner taking the time to share with us his initiatives and ideas of how federal policy can better help small business. Further, inviting our Queens Chamber member businesses to share their thoughts and challenges on Washington was a great opportunity. The meeting was useful, thought
provoking, and showed the concern and respect the Congressman has for the Chamber and the importance of the small businesses to the nation’s economy.”
Turner returned to a frequent talking point of his: the expense of health care and the taxes on small businesses. He said it’s a burden that keeps employers from hiring.
“Being a small business owner your profit margins aren’t astronomical. If you want to expand, at a certain point, you have to hire new employees; but recent polls have shown that small businesses are wary of hiring new employees because of the economic policies of the current administration. We need to help restore Americans’ confidence in our economy by eliminating uncertainties like those we have seen with Obamacare,” Turner said. “Less regulation and lower taxes help all businesses, whether they are just starting up or looking to expand.”
Other attendees included local leaders in the business community such as Joshua Bienstock, Director, Resolve It, Inc., Forest Hills; Kenneth Trupin, Chief Executive Officer, Lynn Staffing Agency, Inc. Kew Gardens; Christine Baumann, Christine Baumann Interiors, Howard Beach; Arthur Miller, Attorney, Rego Park; and Sher Sparano, President, Benefits Advisory Service, Forest Hills.
