Official Summary: Tuesday, April 22

The first full day of events of National Small Business Week 2008 began with a lively panel discussion on health care.

Newt Gingrich followed with a thoughtful and engaging speech.  On health care, the former Speaker of the House said that “health has evolved as the largest sector of our economy.  We apply more intelligence to health than any other human activity.  It’s astonishing how much knowledge we have, but it’s disorganized.” 

Mr. Gingrich also argued that we need a system of delivering health care that is “efficient and competitive.”  Doctors should post their prices so that people can shop around, creating competition.  “We need to treat health care like a business,” Mr. Gingrich said, “health is simply a product.”

Rounding out the health care forum, Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt said that “health care is not a system, but a rapidly growing sector.”  Secretary Leavitt then explained that “the challenge over the next years will be to take this big robust sector, and put it into a system.

Most small businesses, Secretary Leavitt also said, see the virtue of setting up health savings accounts.

After the conclusion of the health care discussion, SBA Deputy Administrator Jovita Carranza opened up the National Awards Luncheon honoring state small business winners.  “Small business owners like all of you have a very special role in your communities,” Deputy Carranza said.  “You provide essential services and products; and you create jobs and opportunities.  Entrepreneurs like you keep our economy strong and growing.”

SBA Administrator Steve Preston then addressed the crowd on the importance of policy to small business, calling for lower tax and regulatory burdens.  “When you consider the immensely important role that small businesses play in our country,” Administrator Preston said, “it’s clear how important it is for us to enact the right policies.”

Administrator Preston’s Speech was followed by the announcement of the National Small Business Person of the Year, along with the runners up.  The 2008 National Small Business Person of the year is Shawn Christopher Boyer, Founder of SnagAJob.com.  Mr. Boyer was praised for growing his Virginia-based business from 2 full time employees to 110. 

First runner up for National Small Business Person of the Year was Angela Timm, founder and CEO of Cottage Garden, Inc., in Bainbridge, Indiana.  There was a tie for second runner up, between Deborah Moore, founder of AccuStat EMR from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and George Burciaga, founder and CEO of smarTECHS.net from Chicago, Illinois.

After the awards ceremony, the focus shifted to international trade as U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab took the stage to talk about the potential of exporting and the importance of opening up foreign markets.  More than 95 percent of the world’s consumers are outside of the United States, Ambassador Schwab noted, which presents a great opportunity that small businesses should take on.

Ambassador Schwab was followed by Sean Poulley of IBM, who talked about how technology was bridging the physical divides for small businesses, and then a panel discussion that featured, among others, SBA’s Exporter of the Year, Oscar Neal Asbury.

The day ended with a Congressional reception at the Dirksen Senate Office Building.