Graves Reminds Americans To Shop Local On Small Business Saturday

Press Release

House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) released the following statement regarding Small Business Saturday:

"Small Business Saturday helps raise awareness of the importance of small businesses on the U.S. economy and their value to every community in America," said Chairman Graves. "Our nation's 28 million small businesses play an integral role in our national and local economy, and we should remember their impact on our everyday lives. As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let's all be thankful that we live in a nation where a free enterprise system fosters entrepreneurship, allows for economic mobility, and creates opportunities for Americans."

On November 13, Chairman Graves introduced a bipartisan resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives to designate a Small Business Saturday. The resolution encourages Americans to shop locally at small businesses in their communities, particularly suggesting November 30, 2013 -- the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Stores and other businesses throughout the country traditionally experience a major upswing in economic activity the weekend following Thanksgiving Day. Since 2010, Small Business Saturday has emphasized a "shop local" theme that follows "Black Friday."

Small businesses make up 64 percent of net new private-sector jobs. From 1992 through 2010, small businesses outperformed large firms in net job creation about 75% of the time. They are also our nation's primary innovators -- small businesses produce 16 times more patents per employee than large firms.

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