May 5, 2016 - Westminster, MD

The Barbour Group, LLC Heads to D.C. to Tackle Top Issues Facing Small Employers at Small Business Leadership Summit

The Barbour Group, LLC, a member of BG Network, was selected to be one of more than 150 small business leaders from across the country to attend Small Business Leadership Summit in Washington D.C. to discuss most pressing issues facing small businesses; opportunity to talk with elected officials and members of the Obama Administration about policies to bolster small business

The Barbour Group, LLC, a nationally licensed surety and commercial insurance agency, will be among more than 150 small business owners attending this year’s Small Business Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. from May 8-11, 2016. The Summit, hosted by small business advocacy organization Small Business Majority, will provide a unique opportunity for The Barbour Group, LLC and other small businesses to interact with key policymakers, senior members of the Obama Administration and issue experts to identify ways to put small business owners at the center of public policy conversations.

“Being chosen as one of the approximately 150 small business owners to attend this year’s Summit allows Karen Barbour, President of The Barbour Group, LLC, a unique opportunity to discuss important issues facing my small business and other entrepreneurs today,” said Karen Barbour, President. “Voicing our needs and concerns directly to policymakers and other experts is a critical step in getting our nation’s leaders to listen to the small business community. I am honored to attend this year’s Summit and will proudly bring Westminster’s small business concerns to the table to advocate on behalf of our hardworking entrepreneurs and innovators.”

With its theme, “Recognizing the Power of the Small Business Economy,” the Summit will feature panel discussions, keynote speeches, interactive workshops and presentations by industry experts and successful entrepreneurs. A private evening reception hosted by Google at its Washington, D.C. headquarters will feature presentations of the “2016 Small Business Awards” for leading entrepreneurs. The Summit concludes with a half-day visit to the White House during which small business owners will have an opportunity to engage directly with senior members of the Obama Administration.

“This Summit will allow small business owners to engage directly with policymakers in D.C. to discuss the importance of small business voices to our economy and how we identify policies to help them thrive,” said Rhett Buttle, President and Managing Director of Small Business Majority. “We’ll hear from a diverse group of entrepreneurs about the issues that impact their businesses, and work with policymakers to advance legislation that will bolster small business and remove their barriers to success.”
The Summit will focus on topline issues of importance to small business, including but not limited to:

• Access to capital, including emerging technologies such as online lending and crowdfunding, along with issues surrounding predatory lending to ensure small businesses obtain the capital necessary to grow and strengthen their firms in a responsible and sustainable manner.
• Tax policy to spur small business/economic growth while leveling the playing field, promoting fairness and ensuring tax policies being considered truly help small businesses, not large corporations or special interests.
• Critical workforce issues impacting small businesses today such as healthcare, retirement savings, minimum wage and family medical leave.
• Small business’ critical role in big-picture economic matters such as infrastructure and economic development.
• Technology, cyber security and online privacy, and how small businesses can adopt and learn about new solutions to old challenges.
• Women’s entrepreneurship, including what factors hold women back and what we can do to help women smash the entrepreneurship glass ceiling.

For more information about the Summit, please visit: www.sbmleadershipsummit.com
For media interviews with Small Business Majority please contact Cassie Mills at (202) 289-0957 or cmills@smallbusinessmajority.org.