Business Forwar‪d‬ Business Forward

On April 13, Business Forward and Small Business for America’s future hosted a briefing and Q&A on the American Jobs Plan with Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Bharat Ramamurti, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, Joelle Gamble, Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and Zach Butterworth, Director of Private Sector Engagement for the White House. It covered topics ranging from opportunities for small businesses in federal contracting to the ways in which the plan will help the U.S. stay globally competitive.

This briefing is part of a series of briefings Business Forward and our partner Small Business for America's Future will conduct with Biden officials on critical economic, climate, and health care issues.

Byron Auguste, CEO and Co-founder of Opportunity@Work, and David Sutphen, Chief Strategy and Engagement Officer for 2U, joined us for a discussion of skills and opportunity gaps, the public and private sectors’ roles in the future of work, and how the small business community can connect with workforce talent.

On April 1, Business Forward hosted a briefing on manufacturing in the Heartland. White House Associate Director of Public Engagement Will McIntee joined for introductory remarks on how the Biden Administration’s American Jobs Plan will impact the Heartland. After these remarks, Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio moderated a discussion between CEO of Heartland Forward Ross DeVol and CEO of Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority Rick Platt on manufacturing in the Heartland, answering questions from business leaders on entrepreneurship, reshoring jobs, and how climate concerns affect electric vehicle suppliers and the manufacturing sector, overall.

01:12 - Will McIntee's remarks
13:47 - Ross DeVol's opening remarks
18:22 - Rick Platt's opening remarks
20:35 - Q&A moderated by Mayor Nan Whaley

On March 24, Business Forward welcomed New York business leaders Daphany Rose Sanchez, Executive Director and Founder of Kinetic Communities Consulting, and Susannah Bradley, Marketing Director for SunCommon, to discuss recent climate legislation and funding a just clean energy transition.


During the conversation, our guests discussed New York’s climate leadership and the Climate and Community Investment Act. They addressed the impact of a clean energy transition on local jobs, investment, and businesses, and how small businesses can get engaged.


Interested in telling Albany to fund the clean energy transition? Sign on to our business leader statement: https://secure.everyaction.com/9ZUL8_vIkUK7cFqS9hlo7g2.


Resources

NY Renews: https://www.nyrenews.org/

Climate Works For All: https://alignny.org/campaign/climate-works-for-all/

On March 18, Business Forward welcomed Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, who represents Washington’s first district, for a briefing on H.R. 1, the For the People Act.

During the briefing, the Congresswoman outlined the various pro-democracy reforms proposed in H.R. 1, including the creation of a nationwide standard for early voting, the expansion of opportunities to vote by mail, and increased protection from misinformation and cyber attacks that interfere with our elections. She also discussed the importance of a well-functioning democracy for the business community.

On March 16th, Business Forward and Small Business for America’s future briefed Bharat Ramamurti, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, on the American Rescue Plan. He answered questions from business leaders on the plan’s industry-specific provisions, how small businesses will benefit, and what is coming next.

This briefing is part of a series of briefings Business Forward and our partner Small Business for America's Future will conduct with Biden officials on critical economic, climate, and health care issues.