VIDEO/PHOTO: Ernst Meets With Iowa Small Business Owners

Press Release

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a senior member of the Senate Small Business Committee, met with a group of Iowa small business owners on Wednesday to discuss a number of challenges facing Iowa's small businesses, including access to childcare, inflation, and procurement of government contracts.

The local business owners who joined Ernst are alumni of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Iowa Cohort. Participants included: Kat McClure, owner of Katherine McClure Photography in Prairie City; Perlla DeLuca, owner of Southeast Constructors in Des Moines; Brandon Dahms, owner of Innovative Manufacturing and Engineering in Des Moines; and Sue Gehling, owner of Classroom Clinic in Carroll.

Click HERE or the image below to view photos and b-roll of the meeting.

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Left to right: Brandon Dahms, Sue Gehling, Senator Ernst, Kat McClure, and Perlla DeLuca.

"Iowa is home to so many incredible small business owners, including the folks I met with today," said Ernst. "As a senior member of the Senate Small Business Committee, I'll continue to make their voices heard and work with my colleagues to cut red tape, improve childcare accessibility, and combat inflation."

"We appreciate Senator Ernst meeting with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alumni from Iowa to discuss the importance of modernizing the Small Business Administration," said Sue Gehling, owner of Classroom Clinic. "It has been 22 years since Congress reauthorized the Small Business Administration, and it has become clear that the agency needs to be reexamined to meet the challenges of today's small businesses. We look forward to continuing to work with Senator Ernst and lawmakers on this important issue."

"Attracting and retaining workers is a challenge for small businesses," said Brandon Dahms, owner of Innovative Manufacturing and Engineering. "As a small Iowa manufacturer, it is difficult for me and many fellow Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alumni to compete with larger companies on healthcare and retirement benefits. I appreciate Senator Ernst's willingness to examine this challenge and consider how reauthorization of the Small Business Administration could give small businesses the ability to better compete for workforce talent."

"The federal government is the single largest purchaser of goods and services, spending more than $500 billion annually," said Perlla Deluca, owner of Southeast Constructors. "While the Small Business Administration sets a goal to award five percent of federal contracts to women-owned small businesses, the agency rarely meets that goal. I appreciate Senator Ernst meeting with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alumni and expressing her desire to level the federal procurement playing field. In reauthorizing the Small Business Administration, Congress can ensure small businesses are a priority for the government's federal contracting needs."

"In communities across Iowa, workers and small business owners are struggling finding access to reliable and affordable childcare. The childcare deserts that my employees face exacerbates workforce challenges for small businesses," said Kat McClure, owner of Katherine McClure Photography. "We appreciate Senator Ernst meeting with Iowa alumni of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. Reauthorizing the Small Business Administration for the first time in 22 years means examining challenges that small businesses owners face today, and clearly childcare should be part of that discussion."

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