Chris Stewart: “This week marks the 50th anniversary of National Small Business Week. A lot of people think of small business and think…”

“This week marks the 50th anniversary of National Small Business Week. A lot of people think of small business and think, Well, what's the big deal? What difference does that really make? Here's the reality: sixty percent of the jobs created in the last 20 years were created by small business. I'm honored to represent the great State of Utah, especially as a former small business owner. With over 57,000 small businesses that have employed more than half a million people in my State, it's clear to me that small business is the backbone of our economy. Forbes magazine recently named Utah the best State in the Nation for business and careers and for small businesses for the third consecutive year. Utah has reached that high-caliber status through supporting a probusiness environment. It offers a low corporate and a low personal income tax rate. Our cost of energy is 27 percent lower than the national average. Pro-business policies like this in Utah help to spur our economy and create jobs, and they contribute to one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Being a small business owner, I recognize the amount of hard work that is required to run a small business. I congratulate the small business owners and wish them a successful Small Business Week. ____________________”