Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ECCI) President and CEO John R. Quigley today joined more than 100 small and large business CEOs and fellow Chamber executives across the United States by signing onto a letter to Congressional leaders in support of a bipartisan approach to small business recovery from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic crisis.
The letter does not advocate for any specific piece of legislation; rather, it advocates for several key bipartisan principles in saving small businesses. Click HERE to read the letter.
Originally written by Starbucks Corp. Chairman Emeritus Howard Schultz in early August, the letter was co-signed by the leaders of many of America’s largest companies, including Walmart, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Starbucks, Merck, Costco, Disney and many more. The presidents of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable also signed.
With Congress still at an impasse since the letter’s original drafting, the original signatories are now working with the Small Business Recovery Initiative and other small business organizations to collect another round of signatories from small business owners and chamber of commerce leaders by the deadline of August 28 at 6 p.m. (EST) and resend to Congressional leaders.
“My ask of you is to read the letter and join as a signatory,” stated Schultz in his August 26 e-mail to ECCI. “The joint voices of those who represent businesses across our country will send a powerful message in support of the economic recovery we need.”
Many of our country’s small businesses are in peril because of COVID-19, with the number of active business owners in the U.S. plummeting by 3.3 million, or 22 percent, from February to April. Today, only 16 percent of small businesses are very confident they will be able to maintain payroll if no further government relief is provided.
“For those of us who believe in the power of capitalism to help all Americans, this is a vital moment to stand up for that belief by showing support for the small businesses that form the fabric of every community in our nation,” stated Schultz.