House Jobs Bill Falls Short of Real Solutions

House Stimulus Bill Criticized for Being a Sham

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - Leaders from the U.S. House of Representatives have narrowly passed a, "Jobs for Main Street Bill," and once again failed to heed strong recommendations from America's 27 million small businesses. The bill has drawn strong criticism from both Republicans and Democrats:

"As the old axiom goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing twice and expecting different results. With that in mind, it's astounding Speaker Pelosi would repeat the same mistakes with her second stimulus as she did with her first."
- Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL), December 16, 2009

"I believe Congress must continue taking strong action to create jobs, but any jobs package should have significant support for small businesses. I have been arguing for months that expanding small business lending is critical to getting our economy moving again, and this bill should have had far more small business support."
- Congressman Gary Peters (D-MI), December 16, 2009

Congress' jobs bill, H.R. 2847, allocates $75 billion in redirected TARP funds for "targeted investments." However, the bill fails to address the diversion of more than $100 billion a year in government small business contracts away from legitimate small businesses and into the hands of corporate giants. The American Small Business League (ASBL) maintains that the House's bill does little to address widespread fraud, abuse and loopholes in small business contracting programs, which continue at the cost of countless jobs every year.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, small businesses are responsible for more than 50 percent of America's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 50.2 percent of the non-farm private sector work force and more than 97 percent of all net new jobs. A recent study from the Kauffman Foundation found that firms less than five-years-old are responsible for nearly all net new jobs. http://www.kauffman.org/research-and-policy/where-will-the-jobs-come-from.aspx

"If Congress wanted to pass a jobs bill, it would pass H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act of 2009. That bill would redirect more than $100 billion a year in federal infrastructure dollars to small businesses directly," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. "Congress' latest blunder is a one time hit, and a repeat of an already failed attempt to stimulate the economy. The Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act is the simplest and most effective stimulus proposed to date and would continue to help small businesses year-after-year." http://www.asbl.com/documents/hr2568.pdf

The House's, "Jobs for Main Street Bill," allocates less than 2.5 percent of the total volume of stimulus dollars invested by the government to small businesses which create virtually 100 percent all net new jobs.

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Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Obama Administration Gives Bechtel Bettis $128 Million Small Business Contract

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - The American Small Business League (ASBL) has uncovered a $128 million small business contract awarded to Bechtel Bettis by Obama officials. Bechtel, a Fortune 500 corporation, did $31.4 billion in sales during fiscal year (FY) 2008 and maintains more than 44,000 employees. In the government's database under the category "socio status," the contract was reported as, "small business."
http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090806BechtelSB_DOE.pdf

During the 2008 presidential election cycle, President Barack Obama promised to, "end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." Yet to date, the Obama Administration has refused to adopt any policy or legislation to honor that campaign promise. As a result, every month the Obama Administration diverts billions of dollars in federal small business contracts away from legitimate small businesses where most Americans work and into the hands of corporate giants.
http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php

Since 2003, twenty-five federal investigations have uncovered the diversion of billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts to some of the largest corporations in the world. The ASBL estimates that every year this issue diverts more than $100 billion in federal small business contracts away from legitimate small businesses and into the hands of multinational corporations. http://www.asbl.com/documentlibrary.html

The most recent data available from the Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation (FPDS-NG) indicates that a majority of small business contracts awarded by the Obama Administration have gone to Fortune 500 firms and thousands of large businesses in the United States and Europe. In addition to Bechtel, Obama officials have awarded small business contracts to: General Dynamics, Xerox, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, British Aerospace (BAE), Dell Computer and French giant Thales Communications. http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090825TopSmallBusinessContractors2008.pdf

In May of 2009, Congressman Hank Johnson (D-4-GA) introduced H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act of 2009. To date the bill has bipartisan support from 19 co-sponsors. The ASBL maintains that H.R. 2568 is the simplest and most efficient way to stimulate the American economy by redirecting more than $100 billion a year in federal infrastructure spending to America's chief job creators, its small businesses. Firms with 20 or fewer employees are responsible for over 97 percent of all net new jobs, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau data. http://www.inc.com/news/articles/200708/data.html

"This issue is going to continue until journalists from the mainstream media begin to ask President Obama to explain why he is allowing billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts to be intentionally and in many cases, illegally diverted to Fortune 500 firms and large businesses worldwide," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. "If you want to know who the real President Obama is, take a look at this issue."

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Small Business Group Wants President Obama to Answer Questions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - In a recent speech, President Barack Obama said, "What I'm interested in is taking action right now to help businesses create jobs right now, in the near term." http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-jobs-summit-real-progress-pr-stunt/story?id=9232219

Since president Obama has voiced his concern about stimulating the economy and creating new jobs, the American Small Business League (ASBL) would like a member of the mainstream media to ask President Obama any of the following questions:

1. In February of 2008, you released the statement, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." Why is your administration continuing to give federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 firms?

2. During the campaign you promised to implement the 5 percent set-aside goal for women owned firms. Why hasn't that program been implemented?

3. Since 2003, twenty-five federal investigations have found widespread fraud and abuse in virtually every program administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). What does your administration intend to do to stop the abuses in those programs?

4. Recently, you have talked about allocating TARP funds to help small businesses. Does it make sense to come up with new programs while billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts are being diverted to corporate giants?

5. H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act of 2009 is designed to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants and redirect billions of dollars in current federal infrastructure spending to the middle class. Will you be backing H.R. 2568?

6. You said you were going to exempt investment in small businesses from capital gains tax. Wouldn't that just be a loophole for venture capitalists to avoid paying taxes?

7. Will you oppose any legislation or policy that would divert federal small business contracts to firms owned or controlled by venture capitalists?

8. Since you have taken office, federal contracting programs for minorities have largely been dismantled. Do you intend to restore those programs?

9. Since U.S. Census Bureau data shows that small businesses create a vast majority of all net new jobs, why has your administration allocated such a small portion of stimulus funds to those firms?

10. The staffing at the SBA is at a 30 year low. Why haven't you restored that agency's staff?

11. In February of 2008, you released the statement, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." Recent shows that your administration is still giving small business contracts to Fortune 500 firms. Why have you failed to make good on that campaign promise?

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Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Obama Administration Diverts Small Business Funds to General Dynamics

Obama Administration Diverts $28.5 Million in Small Business Dollars to General Dynamics

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. – The Obama Administration has awarded a $28.5 million small business contract to Fortune 500 firm General Dynamics. As America's fourth largest prime contractor, General Dynamics did more than $29.3 billion in sales during fiscal year (FY) 2008 and maintains more than 92,000 employees. http://www.asbl.com/documents/20091202GeneralDynamics_Created_20091027.pdf

According to the most recent data from the Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation (FPDS-NG), General Dynamics is just one of hundreds of corporate giants that are currently receiving federal small business contracts from the Obama Administration.

Since 2003, twenty-five federal investigations have uncovered the diversion of billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts to corporate giants. http://www.asbl.com/documentlibrary.html In Report 5-15, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG) referred to the issue as, "One of the most important challenges facing the Small Business Administration and the entire Federal government today." http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-15.pdf As recently as October 16, the SBA OIG listed the issue as the SBA's top management challenge for the fifth consecutive year.
http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_homepage/oig_reports_tmc_fy10.pdf

The American Small Business League (ASBL) has estimated that every year more than $100 billion in federal small business contracts are diverted away from legitimate small businesses and into the hands of some of the largest corporations in the world. The most recent data released by the Obama Administration indicates that firms counted as small businesses included: Xerox, Bechtel, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, British Aerospace (BAE), Ssangyong Corporation headquartered in Seoul, South Korea and Finmeccanica SpA, which is located in Italy with 73,000 employees.
http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090806BechtelSB_DOE.pdf
http://www.asbl.com/documents/20091202Xerox_Created_20091002.pdf

During the 2008 presidential election cycle, President Barack Obama promised to address these abuses when he stated, "Small businesses are the backbone of our nation's economy and we must protect this great resource. It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." Yet to date, President Obama has failed to adopt any policy or legislation to honor that promise. http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php
The ASBL maintains that stopping the diversion of federal small business contracts to large corporations alone would serve as a greater economic stimulus than anything proposed to date.

In May of 2009, Congressman Hank Johnson (D-4-GA) introduced H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act. If passed the bill would halt the flow of federal small business contracts to large businesses and redirect more than $100 billion a year in federal infrastructure spending to legitimate small businesses. Although the bill has bipartisan support with 19 co-sponsors, to date President Obama has refused to endorse the legislation.

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Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Obama Ignores Simple Solution to Job Creation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - In February of 2008, then Senator and Presidential candidate Barack Obama promised to, "end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." Yet to date President Obama has failed to honor that promise in the face of double-digit unemployment and current legislation in Congress that would solve the problem.
http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php

H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act of 2009 would immediately stop the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants, and redirect billions of dollars in federal infrastructure funds to small businesses in the middle class economy. Congressman Hank Johnson (D-4-GA) introduced the bill in May of 2009. To date the bill has 18 co-sponsors.

In January of 2009, Dr. Laura Tyson, Chair of the U.S. President's Council of Economic Advisers during the Clinton Administration, acknowledged that directing federal infrastructure funds to small businesses would be the most effective way to stimulate the economy and job growth. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, small businesses are responsible for more than 97 percent of net new jobs. http://www.inc.com/news/articles/200708/data.html

Since 2003, twenty-five federal investigations have uncovered the diversion of billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 corporations and other clearly large firms. Since taking office, Obama officials have given small business contracts to firms like Bechtel, Xerox and General Dynamics. http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090806BechtelSB_DOE.pdf
http://www.asbl.com/documents/20091202Xerox_Created_20091002.pdf
http://www.asbl.com/documents/20091202GeneralDynamics_Created_20091027.pdf

The ASBL has estimated that if passed, H.R. 2568 would redirect more than $100 billion a year in government contracts to small businesses in the middle class economy. Following the 2008 presidential election, President Obama's transition team estimated that every billion dollars spent on federal infrastructure projects would create 40,000 jobs. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/us/politics/07radio.html?fta=y

"It is hard to believe that President Obama cares about small businesses when his administration is giving billions of dollars a month in small business contracts to Fortune 500 firms," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. "President Obama could honor his promise to end these abuses by supporting H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act. Passage of H.R. 2568 would provide a more significant boost to the economy than any policy or legislation proposed to date, and create millions of new jobs."


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Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Congress Considers Jobs Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - In May of 2009, Congressman Hank Johnson (D-4-GA) introduced H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act of 2009, which would create millions of new jobs by stopping the diversion of billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 corporations and other corporate giants. The bill currently has the bipartisan support of 18 other cosponsors, and chambers of commerce and business organizations around the country.

The American Small Business League (ASBL) points to H.R. 2568 as the simplest and most effective economic stimulus proposed to date.

Since 2003, twenty-five federal investigations have found billions of dollars in fraud and abuse in federal small business contracting programs, which have diverted billions of dollars away from legitimate small businesses and into the hands of Fortune 500 corporations. According to the latest information released by the Obama Administration the top recipient of federal small business contracts was Textron, a Fortune 500 corporation with 43,000 employees, and $14 billion in annual revenue. Other firms that are receiving federal small business contracts include: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, British Aerospace (BAE), Ssangyong Corporation headquartered in Seoul, South Korea and Finmeccanica SpA, which is located in Italy with 73,000 employees. http://www.asbl.com/documentlibrary.html, http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090825TopSmallBusinessContractors2008.pdf

The ASBL has estimated that if passed, H.R. 2568 would redirect more than $100 billion a year in government contracts to small businesses in the middle class economy. Following the 2008 presidential election, President Obama's transition team estimated that every billion dollars spent on federal infrastructure projects would create 40,000 jobs. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/us/politics/07radio.html?fta=y

Based upon the Obama Administration's own findings, H.R. 2568 would create four million new jobs, while cutting unemployment and saving thousands of small businesses from bankruptcy.

"This is the most efficient, cost effective economic stimulus anyone has proposed to date and I challenge anyone to disprove that," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. "I would love to hear what President Obama's economists think about a bill that would perpetually redirect between $100 and $130 billion a year in existing federal infrastructure spending to the middle class economy. The Administration claims that it has allocated $17.3 billion in stimulus to small businesses, I would not be surprised if it was less than half that. America's rapidly rising national unemployment numbers demand a BIG solution, and H.R. 2568 is that BIG solution."

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Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Obama Jobs Forum Angers Small Business Group

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 2, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - On Thursday, December 3, President Barack Obama will commence a "Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth," at the White House. The American Small Business League (ASBL) is concerned that President Obama's jobs forum is yet another publicity stunt designed to yield positive public relations, as opposed to creating new jobs.

The summit will include, "130 liberal economists, union leaders, Fortune 500 executives, and even a few small-business owners," according to Kent Hoover, Washington bureau chief for bizjournals. (http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/capital/2009/12/01/bernanke-confirmation-hearing-is-real-jobs-summit/) President Obama's Forum on Jobs comes just weeks after the administration held a small business-lending forum with a mere seven handpicked small business owners invited to speak. http://www.asbl.com/showmedia.php?id=1521

The ASBL maintains that if President Obama really wanted to stimulate the national economy and create new jobs he would support the small business community and honor the promises he made during the 2008 presidential election.

During the 2008 election cycle, President Obama promised to, "end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php

To date, President Obama has failed to honor that promise.

The ASBL maintains that stopping the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants alone would redirect more than $100 billion a year in federal infrastructure spending to America's chief job creators, its small businesses. Firms with 20 or fewer employees are responsible for over 97 percent of all net new jobs, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data. http://www.inc.com/news/articles/200708/data.html

On October 26, Arianna Huffington took aim at President Obama's priorities by stating, "If this [small business lending] were really a high-priority for the administration, it could, you know, actually do something about it."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/barack-obama-is-doing-my_b_334631.html

The ASBL maintains that President Obama's rhetoric is inconsistent with his actions.

"If President Obama were really serious about creating jobs he would back H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act, which will redirect over $100 billion a year in federal infrastructure spending to the small businesses where most Americans work and where nearly all new jobs are created. H.R. 2568 is the simplest and most effective economic stimulus anyone has proposed to date." ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. "As George S. Patton said, 'A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.' Small businesses cannot afford the luxury of waiting for President Obama to become the man we all thought he was."

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Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Small Business Contracting Abuses #1 Problem at SBA for 5th Consecutive Year

SBA IG Cites Contracting Abuses as #1 Problem for the 5th Consecutive Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 30, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - For the fifth consecutive year the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG) has described the diversion of federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 firms and other clearly large businesses as the #1 problem facing the SBA.

Since 2003, over 24 federal investigations have found that every year billions of dollars in federal small business contracts are diverted away from legitimate small businesses and into the hands of Fortune 500 firms. According to the latest information released by the Obama Administration the top recipient of federal small business contracts was Textron, a Fortune 500 corporation with 43,000 employees, and $14 billion in annual revenue. Other firms that are receiving federal small business contracts include: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, British Aerospace (BAE), Ssangyong Corporation headquartered in Seoul, South Korea and Finmeccanica SpA, which is located in Italy with 73,000 employees.

In 2005, the SBA OIG released Report 5-15, which referred to the diversion of federal small business contracts to large corporations as "One of the most important challenges facing the Small Business Administration and the entire Federal government today." (http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-15.pdf)

Even President Obama acknowledged the magnitude of the issue when in February of 2008 he promised to end the abuses by stating, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." (http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php)

To date, the Obama Administration has failed to honor that promise. The American Small Business League (ASBL) estimates that every year over $100 billion in federal small business contracts are diverted to corporate giants.

On May 21, 2009, Congressman Hank Johnson (D - GA) introduced H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act, to address this issue. The bill was originally drafted by the ASBL, and currently has 17 co-sponsors as well as the support of more than 50 business organizations and chambers of commerce across the country.

To date, the Obama Administration and both the House and Senate small business committees have refused to address this issue or endorse H.R. 2568.

"The fact that the SBA Inspector General has found this issue to be the agency's #1 problem for the fifth consecutive year, yet the SBA has done nothing to address it, goes way beyond incompetence," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. "This is by design, and this issue is not going to stop until journalists start asking President Obama why his administration talks about helping small businesses, and then gives hundreds of millions of dollars in small business contracts to corporate giants every day."

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Please click here to watch a short clip about the ASBL's concerns: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX34LddPtHE


Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

More Fraud in SBA Managed Small Business Programs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 24, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. – In a recent U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation into fraud in the Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) program, investigators stated, "By failing to hold firms accountable, SBA and contracting agencies have sent a message to the contracting community that there is no punishment or consequences for committing fraud or abusing the intent of the veterans program." http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10108.pdf

The report, which was presented to Congress on Thursday, November 19, is just the latest example of ongoing abuses in the government's small business contracting programs, finding at least $100 million in federal contracts fraudulently awarded to ineligible firms.

Since 2002, there have been more than 24 other federal investigations, which have found fraud, abuse, loopholes and a lack of oversight in small business contracting programs under various federal agencies. http://www.asbl.com/documentlibrary.html

In 2005, Report 5-15 from the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG) stated, "One of the most important challenges facing the Small Business Administration and the entire Federal government today is that large businesses are receiving small business procurement awards and agencies are receiving credit for these awards." Since 2006, The SBA OIG has classified this issue as the #1 management challenge facing the agency. http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-15.pdf, http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_homepage/oig_reports_tmc_fy10.pdf

In 2008, the Department of Interior Office of Inspector General (DOI OIG) released a report titled, "Interior Misstated Achievement of Small Business Goals by Including Fortune 500 companies." In its report, the DOI OIG found the agency awarded small business contracts to Fortune 500 firms like, Home Depot, John Deere, Dell, Sherwin Williams, Starwood Hotels and Waste Management.
http://www.doioig.gov/upload/2008-G-0024.pdf

The American Small Business League (ASBL) has estimated that due to these abuses, every year more than $100 billion in federal small business contracts are diverted away from legitimate small businesses and into the hands of Fortune 500 corporations and other clearly large firms around the world.

In February of 2008, President Obama promised to stop these abuses by stating, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." To date, the Obama Administration has not honored that promise. http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php

"It is ludicrous to think President Obama is trying to help small businesses when he has given them a tenth of a percent of the stimulus funds, and his administration has continued to give billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts to some of the biggest companies in the world," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said.


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Please click here to watch a short clip about the ASBL's concerns: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX34LddPtHE

Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Few Attend Obama National Small Business Conference

Only Seven Small Businesses Invited to Attend Obama National Small Business Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - After announcing that the Obama Administration would, "convene a conference…that will bring together regulators, congressional leaders, lenders and small businesses," to discuss the flow of credit and capital to small businesses, on Wednesday, November 18, the Obama Administration held a five hour small business "forum" with a mere seven hand-picked small business owners on the docket.

The American Small Business League (ASBL) points to yet another example of the staggering disparity between President Obama's rhetoric and his administration's actions for our nation's 27 million small business owners.

Small businesses are the backbone of our nation's economy. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, small businesses are responsible for over 50 percent of our nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 50.2 percent of the non-farm private sector work force and 97 percent of net-new jobs. With that in mind, the ASBL maintains small businesses deserved a more substantial seat at the table.

During the 2008 election cycle, President Obama promised to:

- End the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants. http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php

- Restore the Small Business Administration's (SBA) budget and staffing. http://obama.3cdn.net/d14eb1b3649c4d6745_0evzmv02w.pdf

- Restore the SBA Administrator to a cabinet level position. http://sbc.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=307468

- Implement the congressionally mandated 5-percent set-aside goal for women owned firms. http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/SmallBusinessFINAL.pdf

More than a year after the 2008 presidential election, the Obama Administration has failed to honor its promises to the small business community.

The ASBL maintains that honoring President Obama's promise to "end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants" alone, would save thousands of small businesses and countless American jobs by redirecting over $100 billion a year in federal contracts to small businesses in the middle class economy.

The diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants was not discussed during Wednesday's forum.

"As we predicted, President Obama's forum ignored what the SBA Inspector General has referred to as the SBA's #1 challenge for five consecutive years," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. "We need to quit listening to what he says, and look at what he does. Despite the commotion and rhetoric the Obama Administration has stirred up regarding its small businesses forum, it looks like it was just another publicity stunt. I'd love to see someone from the mainstream media ask President Obama on national television why he is continuing to give billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 firms."

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Please click here to watch a short clip about the ASBL's concerns regarding the Obama Administration's small business conference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JvT7Btd_9s

Obama Small Business Forum Will Ignore Number One SBA Challenge

PETALUMA, Calif. - The Obama Administration will hold a Small Business Forum today with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Karen Mills. While many subjects will be covered, the American Small Business League (ASBL) predicts the one subject not discussed will be the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants.

Every year since 2006, including the current fiscal year, the SBA Office of Inspector General (OIG) has listed the number-one management challenge facing the SBA as, "Procurement flaws allow large firms to obtain small business awards and agencies to count contracts performed by large firms towards their small business goals." (http://bit.ly/4nmRkt)

In 2005, the SBA OIG released Report 5-15, which stated, "One of the most important challenges facing the Small Business Administration and the entire Federal government today is that large businesses are receiving small business procurement awards and agencies are receiving credit for these awards." (http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-15.pdf)

President Obama recognized the gravity of the situation in February of 2008 when he released the statement, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." (http://bit.ly/4fRrGq)

Since 2003, more than 15 federal investigations have found that billions of dollars in federal small business contracts have been diverted to Fortune 500 firms in the U.S. and some of the largest firms in Europe and Asia. (http://www.asbl.com/documentlibrary.html)

In the most recent data released by the Obama Administration, Textron, a Fortune 500 firm with more than 43,000 employees, was the top recipient of federal small business contracts getting over $775 million. Other firms such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, British Aerospace (BAE), Rolls-Royce, French giant Thales Communications, Ssangyong Corporation headquartered in Seoul, South Korea and Finmeccanica SpA which is located in Italy with 73,000 employees, were included in the Obama Administration's small business contracting data. (http://bit.ly/W0EB1)

The ASBL estimates that since President Obama took office, over $100 billion in federal small business contracts have been diverted to corporate giants around the world. The ASBL helped draft H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act, which if passed, will immediately stop the flow of small business contracts to corporate giants.

"If President Obama were really sincere about helping small businesses, then he would immediately stop the flow of federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 firms," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said.

Please click here to watch a short clip about the ASBL's concerns regarding the Obama Administration's small business conference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JvT7Btd_9s

Obama Small Business Conference Should Take ‘Reasonable’ Steps to Reduce Unemployment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 17, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. – Since President Barack Obama has said that we need to take all reasonable steps to stimulate the economy and create new jobs, the American Small Business League (ASBL) would like to propose these very reasonable steps to stimulate the economy and cut unemployment: http://whitehouse.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/11/12/white-house-to-host-jobs-forum-in-december/

- Do not change the definition of a small business from being "independently owned" to include firms that are owned and controlled by venture capitalists. This would divert even more small business contracts away from legitimate small businesses and into the hands of wealthy investors.

- Do not attempt to close the Small Business Administration (SBA) by combining it with the U.S. Department of Commerce or any other federal agency.

- Honor your campaign promise to, "end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." The best way to do this would be to back H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act. The Obama Administration is currently awarding billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts to corporate giants around the world. (e.g. Textron, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Rolls Royce, and Thales) By stopping this problem, H.R. 2568, would redirect more current federal infrastructure spending to small businesses in the middle class than any other proposal to date. http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php

- Implement the 5 percent set-aside goal for women owned firms like you promised during the campaign. http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/SmallBusinessFINAL.pdf

- Restore the SBA's budget and staffing like you promised during the campaign.
The current SBA staffing levels are at their lowest levels in 30 years. http://obama.3cdn.net/d14eb1b3649c4d6745_0evzmv02w.pdf

- Eliminate the SBA fabricated exclusionary rules that reduce contacting opportunities for small businesses.

- Abolish the Comprehensive Test Program, which allows contractors to avoid penalties for non-compliance and avoid submitting reports that are used to track compliance with their small business sub-contracting goals.

- Enforce the "Liquidated Damages" clause in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which created a penalty for prime contractor non-compliance with its small business sub-contracting plans. This law has never been enforced.

- Aggressively prosecute fraud and misrepresentation in federal small business programs.
Misrepresenting the size of a firm in order to illegally receive federal contracts and subcontracts is a felony with penalties of up to 10 years in prison, a fine up to $500,000, cancellation of all contracts and debarment from selling to the government.

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Please click here to watch a short clip about the ASBL's concerns regarding the Obama Administration's small business conference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JvT7Btd_9s

Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Details of Next Week's Obama Small Business Conference Remain a Mystery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. – On October 21, President Barack Obama announced he would convene a small business conference to address increasing access to capital for small businesses. Yet less than a week before the conference is set to convene on Wednesday, November 18, the Administration has refused to release any information regarding the event's location, time, agenda or attendees.

The American Small Business League (ASBL) is concerned that the administration is withholding details on the conference as a means of preventing legitimate small business concerns, small business advocates and the media from attending.

"This is a clear indication that President Obama has no intention of adopting any policies that will actually benefit legitimate small businesses. My guess is that this is going to be a love-fest for his venture capitalist buddies and the Fortune 500 firms he is giving small business contracts to every day," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said.

The ASBL is predicting that the meeting could actually propose creating a loophole that would divert federal small business contracts away from legitimate small businesses and into the hands of wealthy venture capitalists under the guise of "increasing access to capital" for small businesses. The ASBL is concerned that in a worst-case scenario President Obama may even try to wind down federal small business contracting programs under the guise of bolstering the SBA by combining it with the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The ASBL questions the motives of President Obama and the legitimacy of the conference as a whole.

"Obviously they don't want media coverage of their sham small business conference and they clearly don't want any input from legitimate small business advocates," Chapman said. The administration's strategy may be to prevent input from small business groups that have complained about the Obama Administration awarding millions of dollars a day in federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 corporations, including stimulus dollars, according to the ASBL.

The ASBL points to the fact that the Administration has allocated less than 1 percent of stimulus funds to small businesses.

In a recent post, blogger Arianna Huffington criticized President's Obama's plan to hold a small business conference and took aim at his priorities by stating, "If this [small business lending] were really a high-priority for the administration, it could, you know, actually do something about it."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/barack-obama-is-doing-my_b_334631.html

"If President Obama really wanted to help small businesses he would have honored his February 2008 campaign promise to, 'end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants,' but he hasn't done that has he?” Chapman said.


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Please click here to watch a short clip about the ASBL's concerns regarding the Obama Administration’s small business conference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXAg0XRROIs


Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Obama Stimulus Plan Fails Middle Class

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - On Friday, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that the national unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent in the month of October, its highest point in 26 years.

Small business advocates like the American Small Business League (ASBL) believe the unemployment rate continues to soar because the Obama Administration's economic stimulus plan has virtually ignored middle class firms.

Firms with 20 or fewer employees are responsible for over 97 percent of all net new jobs, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data. http://www.inc.com/news/articles/200708/data.html To date the Obama Administration has awarded less than one percent of all funds allocated under the stimulus to those firms.

In February of 2008, President Obama released the statement, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php The statement is based on a series of federal investigations, which have found that every year billions of dollars in federal small business contracts are diverted to some of the largest companies around the world. http://www.asbl.com/documentlibrary.html

The ASBL estimates that since President Obama took office over $100 billion in federal contracts were diverted to corporate giants around the world.

Despite pledging to address these issues, the Obama Administration has consistently refused to adopt any legislation or policy to solve the problem. Consequently, Fortune 500 firms like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, British Aerospace (BAE), Rolls Royce, and French giant Thales Communications continue to receive federal small business contracts. The most recent data released by the Obama Administration lists Fortune 500 corporation, Textron Inc. as the largest recipient of federal small business contracts. Textron has 43,000 employees.

"If President Obama really wants to stimulate our nation's economy and create new jobs, he needs to help pass H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. "H.R. 2568 offers the most efficient and cost effective method anyone has proposed to redirect federal infrastructure spending to small businesses. It would also solve the 10-year-old contracting scandal the Small Business Administration (SBA) Inspector General referred to as, 'one of the most important challenges facing the small business administration and the entire federal government today.' "

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Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Obama's First Year Short Changes Small Businesses

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - A year after being elected, President Barack Obama's small business policies don't seem to match his campaign promises to America's 27 million small businesses.

President Obama earned the support of small business groups during his campaign by making several key promises. President Obama promised to:

- Restore the Small Business Administration's (SBA) budget and staffing. To date, the SBA's budget is less than what it was at the end of the Clinton Administration. During the Bush Administration the SBA's budget and staffing was cut by more than half. Despite promising to bolster the agency, the Obama Administration has failed to refill key positions, or restore the agency's budget. Today, the SBA's staff is at a 30 year low. http://obama.3cdn.net/d14eb1b3649c4d6745_0evzmv02w.pdf

- Restore the SBA Administrator to a cabinet level position. Despite encouragement from both Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress, President Obama has refused to restore the SBA's Administrator to cabinet level status. http://sbc.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=307468

- Implement the congressionally mandated 5-percent set-aside goal for women owned firms. To date, the Obama Administration has failed to honor that promise. http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/SmallBusinessFINAL.pdf

- "End the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." Since 2003, more than 15 federal investigations have found that billions in federal small business contracts have been diverted to Fortune 500 firms in the U.S. and some of the biggest firms in Europe and Asia. In February of 2008, President Obama acknowledged the magnitude of the problem by releasing the statement, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php

In the most recent data released by the Obama Administration, Textron, a Fortune 500 firm with more than 43,000 employees was the top recipient of federal small business contracts. Other firms such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, British Aerospace (BAE), Rolls-Royce, French giant Thales Communications, Ssangyong Corporation headquartered in Seoul, South Korea and Finmeccanica SpA which is located in Italy with 73,000 employees, were included in the Obama Administration's small business contracting data. http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090825TopSmallBusinessContractors2008.pdf

To date the Obama Administration has failed to take any action to honor that promise.

"American small businesses need more than speeches from President Obama. Every day he's been in office, government small business contracts have been diverted to Fortune 500 firms. He's given small businesses less than one percent of the stimulus funds. That's the real Obama plan for small business," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said.

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Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Details of Obama Small Business Conference Remain a Mystery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 4, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. – Two weeks after President Barack Obama announced a special conference to discuss increasing the flow of credit to small businesses, no information about the date, time, location or attendees has been made available.

The American Small Business League (ASBL) is skeptical about the true purpose of the conference. The ASBL predicts that the actual purpose of the meeting will be to try and change the long standing federal definition of a small business as "independently owned" to include firms owned by wealthy venture capitalists that backed President Obama's campaign.

"If this conference does take place, I doubt there will be one person in the room like myself who has a documentable track record of fighting for legitimate small businesses. I'm sure there will be sham small business groups that are actually backed by the Fortune 500 corporations that are currently receiving most federal small business contracts. There will also be a significant number of venture capitalists that are trying to highjack federal small business programs," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said.

The ASBL is concerned that not only will the conference not help small businesses, but a proposal may even come out of the conference to close the SBA under the guise of bolstering the agency by combining it with the U.S. Department of Commerce. In the past, combining small agencies with the Commerce Department has been a technique used in Washington by previous administrations to quietly close agencies. The Minority Business Development Agency was essentially closed in this way.

If President Obama wants to help small businesses he needs to make good on his campaign promise to, "end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php The best way to do that is for him to pass H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contacting Act of 2009. This bill would redirect over $100 billion a year in current federal infrastructure spending to the middle class firms where nearly all new jobs are created. http://www.asbl.com/documents/hr2568.pdf

According to the most recent data released by the Obama Administration billions of dollars in federal small business contracts have been diverted to firms like: Textron, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, British Aerospace (BAE), Rolls-Royce and French firm Thales Communications. http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090825TopSmallBusinessContractors2008.pdf

In February of 2009, Obama officials awarded a $128 million small business contract to, Fortune 500 firm, Bechtel Bettis Inc. http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090806BechtelSB_DOE.pdf

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Questions for SBA Administrator Karen Mills from the American Small Business League

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2009

Questions for SBA Administrator Karen Mills from the American Small Business League

Petaluma, Calif. - In February of 2008, President Obama released the statement, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." Every year since 2006, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG) has released a report, which listed the agency's #1 management challenge as, "Procurement flaws allow large firms to obtain small business awards and agencies to count contracts performed by large firms towards their small business goals."
(http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php, http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba/oig_reports_tmc_fy09.pdf)

Since 2003, over 15 federal investigations have found that billions of dollars a year in federal small business contracts are diverted to some of the largest corporations in the world. The most recent statistics released by the Obama Administration indicate that hundreds of Fortune 500 corporations, their subsidiaries and other large businesses were included in the government's fiscal year (FY) 2008 small business contracting data. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090825TopSmallBusinessContractors2008.pdf)

Firms that received federal small business contracts included: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, GTSI, L-3 Communications, British Aerospace (BAE), Northrop Grumman, Booz Allen Hamilton, Thales, General Dynamics, 3M, Hewlett-Packard, AT&T, Rolls-Royce and Dell Computer.

Despite the fact that the diversion of federal small business contracts to large corporations is the SBA's #1 challenge, Administrator Karen Mills has refused to mention the issue or adopt any policies to address it. The American Small Business League (ASBL) believes it is time for someone in the media to question Ms. Mills about the Obama Administration's refusal to address this pressing issue.

- Will the Obama Administration support federal legislation or policy that would allow wealthy venture capitalists to participate in federal small business contracting programs?

- Considering the fact that America is in the midst of its worst economic downturn in 80 years, why is the Obama Administration continuing to allow contracts to Fortune 500 firms to be counted as small business awards?

- Will any contracts to Fortune 500 corporations and their subsidiaries be included in the government's small business contracting statistics for FY 2009?

- Why hasn't the Obama Administration adopted polices or legislation to end the diversion of federal small business contacts to corporate giants?

- In February of 2009, the Obama Administration awarded a $128 million contract to Bechtel as a small business, how would you justify that to the millions of small businesses who are struggling to keep their doors open? (http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090806BechtelSB_DOE.pdf)

- Is there any truth to the rumor that the Obama Administration may try to close the SBA by combining it with the U.S. Department of Commerce?


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Obama's Plan to Help Small Businesses Evaporates

Petaluma, Calif. - Last week, President Obama announced his administration's plan for a, "New Small Business Lending Initiative." The new initiative is the next installment in a series of speeches by President Obama, which have yet to yield any results for the small business community.

In his speech President Obama stated, "This administration is going to stand behind small businesses. You are our highest priority because we are confident that when you are succeeding, America succeeds." (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-small-business-initiatives-landover-md) Over the past year, President Obama promised to restore the Small Business Administration's (SBA) budget, restore the SBA Administrator to a cabinet level position, implement the 5 percent set-aside goal for women owned firms, and stop the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants. To date, none of these promises have been honored. (http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php)

Since the recession began, the government has spent roughly $2.8 trillion to stimulate our nation's economy. (http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/bailouttracker/) President Obama stated that stimulus spending has led to small businesses receiving $13 billion in new loans and $4.3 billion in federal contracts, for a total of $17.3 billion. That means small businesses have received only 0.6 percent out of the $2.8 trillion in stimulus funds invested by the government. In comparison, AIG received $180 billion in taxpayer money, while America's 27 million small businesses have received $17.3 billion.

Regarding the new initiative, Keith Girard in Allbusiness.com stated, "whether they [Obama Administration] will get desperately needed capital to small businesses in a meaningful way is problematic at best." (http://www.allbusiness.com/economy-economic-indicators/economic-conditions-depression/13271042-1.html) On the Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington stated, "if this were really a high-priority for the administration, it could, you know, actually do something about it. Right now. The executive branch has plenty of weapons at its disposal to force banks still dependent on billions of dollars in taxpayer funds and guarantees to change behavior." (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/barack-obama-is-doing-my_b_334631.html)

Last year President Obama stated that for every billion dollars spent, 40,000 new jobs would be created. (http://bit.ly/2eiyas) Based on the Obama Administration's estimates regarding job creation, stimulus spending to date should have created 640,000 jobs, however, a recent report has revealed that only 30,383 jobs have been created. (http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/home.aspx)

On August 18, President Obama announced a government-wide plan led by SBA Administrator Karen Mills and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to increase contracting opportunities for small businesses. The plan included over 200 events nationwide within 90 days; over 70 days after the announcement no schedule of these events has been released. (http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_homepage/news_release_09-58.pdf)

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Upcoming Obama Conference Could Be Bad News for Small Business

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. – On Wednesday, October 21, President Barack Obama announced plans to convene a conference of "regulators, congressional leaders, lenders and small businesses to determine what additional steps we can take to get credit flowing to small businesses that want to expand and create more jobs." (http://www.asbl.com/documents/Remarks_by_obama_on_small_business_initiatives.pdf)

Small business groups like the American Small Business League (ASBL) are concerned the real agenda of the upcoming Obama Administration small business conference will be to adopt legislation and policy that will change the definition of a small business and divert federal small business contracts to wealthy venture capitalists. (http://www.vcjnews.com/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=46450)

The Small Business Act requires that a small business be "independently owned." Firms that are owned and controlled by venture capitalists are not considered small businesses in federal small business contracting and grant programs.

The venture capital industry, led by the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) has spent millions of dollars lobbying members of Congress to change the current definition of a small business to allow even billionaire venture capitalists to participate in federal small business contracting programs. (http://maplight.org/map/us/interest/F2500)

During his 2003 race for a seat in the U.S. Senate, President Obama developed deep ties within the venture capital industry. Since then, President Obama has received significant contributions from the NVCA and its members.

Both the House and Senate small business committees have attempted to pass legislation that could destroy millions of legitimate small businesses by diverting billions of dollars in federal small business contracts to wealthy venture capitalists that have contributed millions of dollars to key democratic leaders in Congress.

House Small Business Committee Chair Nydia M. Velázquez (D - NY) introduced H.R. 3567, Small Business Investment Expansion Act of 2007, which would have changed the definition of a small business for all federal programs to include firms owned and controlled by venture capitalists. In a story titled, "Velázquez Champions VC Firms at Small Business Expense," by Keith Girard, AllBusiness.com, Velázquez was accused of "quarterbacking the venture capital industry's efforts." (http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/business-climate-conditions/9077284-1.html)

"I predict that President Obama will try to cheat legitimate small businesses by diverting billions of dollars in federal small business contracts to his wealthy venture capitalist contributors under the guise of 'increasing access to capital for small businesses,' " ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said.

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Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Obama Small Business Plan Falls Short of Real Solutions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - On Wednesday, October 21, President Barack Obama held a press conference in Landover, MD to announce the administration's plans for a, "New Small Business Lending Initiative." According to President Obama's statements, the initiative would focus almost entirely on increasing the ceilings on government loans to small businesses. (http://bit.ly/47ZRLy)

However, President Obama once again failed to address widespread abuses in federal small business contracting programs, which have lead to the yearly diversion of billions of dollars in contracts intended for small businesses to corporate giants. According to the administration's most recent small business contracting data, which was released on August 21st, 2009, the top recipient of federal small business contracts during fiscal year (FY) 2008 was Textron Inc. Textron is a Fortune 500 corporation, with 43,000 employees and over $14 billion in annual sales. (http://bit.ly/W0EB1)

In addition to Textron, corporate giants like: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, AT&T, 3M Corporation, Xerox, Dell Computer, Booz Allen Hamilton, Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, Staples, Office Depot, British Aerospace (BAE), Rolls-Royce and French firm Thales Communications were included in the Obama Administration's small business contracting data.

Corporate giants in Asia and Europe were also included. During FY 2008, Ssangyong Corporation headquartered in Seoul, South Korea received over $254 million in small business contracts and Finmeccanica SpA, headquartered in Italy with 73,000 employees, received over $283 million.

Since 2003, over 15 federal investigations have found that billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts are diverted to large businesses. (http://bit.ly/3ihWSI)

In February of 2008, President Obama acknowledged the magnitude of the problem and released the statement, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." (http://bit.ly/4fRrGq)

The American Small Business League (ASBL) points to the fact that President Obama has refused to adopt policy or support legislation to address the problem. ASBL projects that legitimate small businesses lose up to $100 billion a year in federal contracts due to rampant abuses in government contracting programs.

"If you want to know the truth about President Obama's commitment to small businesses you have to realize that about $1 million a minute in federal small business contracts is going to some of biggest companies around the world. He knows it. He said he would stop it more than a year ago, and yet he has done nothing. Look at the facts," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said.

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Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Justice Department Drops Appeal of Federal Court Ruling

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 20, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - The U.S. Department of Justice has dropped its appeal of a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California awarding legal fees to the American Small Business League (ASBL). The case was scheduled to be heard by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals early next year. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/order_dismissingAppeal_SBA_names.pdf, http://www.asbl.com/documents/motion_dismissAppeal_SBA_Fees.pdf)

Prior to dropping its appeal, the Justice Department offered to drop its appeal of the District Court's ruling for attorney's fees if the ASBL agreed to waive legal fees it incurred during the appellant process. The ASBL declined the Justice Department's offer stating that it preferred to have the case heard by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The ASBL requested the specific names of the firms that were coded as small businesses for FY 2005 and 2006 and the specific dollar amounts that were awarded to those firms from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The request was made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The SBA refused to comply with the ASBL's request for the data. During litigation, the SBA claimed that it had no information in its possession regarding the specific names of firms that had received federal small business contracts.

In the court's ruling, United States District Judge Marilyn H. Patel stated, "The court finds it curious the SBA's argument that it does not 'control' the very information it needs to carry out its duties and functions." (www.asbl.com/documents/26-2.pdf)


As a result of Patel's ruling, the SBA was ordered to turn over the requested information and pay all of the legal fees incurred by the ASBL during the initial litigation process. The information the ASBL finally obtained indicated that the SBA, the General Services Administration (GSA) and virtually every other federal agency diverted billions of dollars in federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 firms and dozens of large businesses in Europe and Asia. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090825TopSmallBusinessContractors2008.pdf)

Some of the firms that received federal small business contracts included Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, General Dynamics, GTSI, Rolls-Royce, Dell Computer, Thales Communications, and British Aerospace (BAE).

The ASBL has estimated that legitimate small businesses are losing over $100 billion a year in federal small business contracts to corporate giants.

The ASBL drafted legislation titled, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act, or H.R. 2568, which would halt the flow of federal small business contracts to large businesses. On May 21, 2009, Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA-4) introduced the bill into the U.S. House of Representatives. To date, the bill has 15 co-sponsors and has been endorsed by more than 50 chambers of commerce and business organizations around the country.

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Corporate Giants Land Obama Small Business Funds Under ARRA

By Lloyd Chapman
President, American Small Business League

In December of 2008, President Barack Obama’s Presidential transition team estimated that for every billion dollars spent on federal infrastructure projects, 40,000 jobs would be created nationwide. (http://tiny.cc/POj7a ) Yet on Thursday, the Obama Administration released its first report on the distribution of dollars under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) claiming that it has distributed $16 billion in stimulus funds and created 30, 383 jobs. (http://bit.ly/1ulfGz)

Based on the Obama Administration’s December 2008 estimates regarding job creation, the ARRA funds spent to date should have created 640,000 jobs. Thursday’s numbers represent a shortfall of 609, 617 jobs.

The American Small Business League (ASBL) maintains that if the Obama Administration had allocated more money for small businesses, the ARRA funds spent would have created significantly more jobs.

The ASBL points to the following:

- According to data from the United States Census Bureau, businesses with fewer than 20 employees account for 90 percent of all U.S. firms, and are responsible for more than 97 percent of all net new jobs.
(http://www.inc.com/news/articles/200708/data.html)

- Small businesses are responsible for more than 50 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 90 percent of innovations and over 50 percent of our nation’s non-farm private sector workforce. (http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/profiles/08us.pdf)

On Oct. 2, the Small Business Administration claimed that small businesses had been awarded nearly 26 percent of all federal stimulus dollars awarded to date, or $4 billion. (http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1009/100609rb1.htm)

That said, the ASBL has found significant discrepancies in the government’s data, which are consistent with more than 15 federal investigations indicating that every year billions of dollars in federal contracts intended for small businesses actually go to some of the largest corporations in the world. Since 2003, firms like: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Dell Computer, British Aerospace (BAE), Rolls-Royce, French giant Thales, Ssangyong Corporation headquartered in South Korea and the Italian Finmeccanica SpA, have received billions of dollars in federal small business contracts.

With that in mind, small businesses have received a mere fraction of the total dollars awarded by the government, while Fortune 500 corporations are reaping the benefits of the stimulus.

If President Obama is serious about creating jobs and stimulating our nation’s economy, he should honor his campaign promise to, “stop the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants,” by issuing an executive order or by supporting H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act of 2009. (http://bit.ly/4fRrGq, http://www.asbl.com/documents/hr2568.pdf)


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Miami Herald: In Florida, 'small businesses' aren't all small

Small businesses are supposed to get a substantial percent of government contracts. But not all contract holders are really that small.

BY JIM WYSS
jwyss (at) MiamiHerald.com

What do Dell Computer, General Electric and Boeing have in common? These massive corporations were all counted as ``small businesses'' doing work in Florida last year.

The three firms -- along with a dozen other billion-dollar companies -- soaked up at least $76 million in federal contracts that were recorded as going to small businesses during fiscal year 2008, according to government data.

The issue of how federal dollars are spent is critical in Florida, where 90 percent of all businesses have fewer than 20 employees and government contracts represent a valuable lifeline amid a tanking economy.

While the federal government is obliged to put 23 percent of all direct, or prime, contracts in the hands of small firms, it has missed that mark for the past three years.

``Call me crazy, but I just don't think Fortune 500 companies should be counted as small-business contracts,'' said Lloyd Chapman, president of the American Small Business League. ``I just can't believe this is still going on.''

Please click here to read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/569/story/1276867.html

Obama Refusing to Give Contracts to Small Businesses as Unemployment Continues to Rise

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - According to the most recent data from the Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation (FPDS-NG), the Obama Administration is continuing to award billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts to corporate giants.

The top recipient was Fortune 500 firm Textron, which received $775.7 million in federal small business contracts. In addition to Textron, Ssangyong Corporation, which is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea received over $254 million in small business contracts; and Finmeccanica SpA, which is headquartered in Italy with 73,000 employees, received over $283 million.

Other firms included in the Obama Administration's small business data were: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, AT&T, 3M Corporation, Xerox, Dell Computer, Booz Allen Hamilton, Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, Staples, Office Depot, British Aerospace (BAE), Rolls-Royce and French firm Thales Communications.

In February of 2009, Bechtel Bettis Inc. received a $128 million small business contract from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under the Obama Administration.
(http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090806BechtelSB_DOE.pdf)

Since 2003, more than 15 federal investigations have found that every year billions of dollars in federal small business contracts are diverted to corporate giants. Report 5-15 from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General referred to the problem as, "One of the most important challenges facing the SBA and the entire federal government today." (http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-15.pdf)

In February of 2008, President Obama recognized the problem when he stated, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." (http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php)

To date, the Obama Administration has not adopted any policies or legislation to honor that campaign promise.

On Friday, October 2, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that unemployment hit 9.8 percent in the month of September. Moreover, DOL announced that when factoring in frustrated workers who have dropped out, taken part-time work or haven't looked recently; unemployment could be as high as 17 percent.

The American Small Business League (ASBL) believes unemployment is on the rise as a result of the Obama Administration's refusal to stop the diversion of billions of dollars a month in federal contracts earmarked for small businesses to corporate giants.

"It's hard not to question President Obama's sincerity about creating jobs when he is giving billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts to corporate giants around the world," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. "Until we stop this problem, unemployment is going to continue to rise."

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Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith Claims Loophole to Give Billions to His Top Campaign Contributors was 'Unintended’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. – Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith (D-AL-5) is claiming that a bill he wrote would carry the ‘unintended consequence’ of allowing the subsidiaries of some of his largest campaign contributors to receive billions of dollars in federal small business contracts.

During an interview with the Times Daily newspaper regarding H.R. 3558, the Small Business Fair Competition Act, Congressman Griffith claimed that it was not his intention to create loopholes to allow two of his largest campaign contributors, Boeing and Northrop Grumman to land billions of dollars in federal small business contracts.

In the story, American Small Business League (ASBL) President Lloyd Chapman stated, "It is simply not believable that Congressman Griffith accidentally wrote a bill that is going to allow the subsidiaries of some of his largest campaign contributors like Boeing and Northrop Grumman to get small business contracts. It is absurd." (http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090930/ARTICLES/909305008/1011/NEWS?Title=Griffith-Bill-needs-more-work)

The ASBL was the only organization to uncover the supposed accidental loophole. Yet, as opposed to thanking the organization, Griffith accused the group of seeking notoriety.

Recent data released by the Obama Administration indicates that Fortune 500 defense contractors in Congressman Griffith's district such as Boeing, Northrop Grumman and British Aerospace (BAE) are receiving federal small business contracts. Critics of Griffith and his bill believe that he was clearly trying to create a loophole to allow Fortune 500 corporations to continue to take contracts intended for small businesses.

Since 2003, over a dozen federal investigations have found that every year billions of dollars in federal small business contracts are diverted to Fortune 500 firms with a concentration on the defense and aerospace industry.

In 2005, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General referred to the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants as, "One of the most important challenges facing the Small Business Administration and the entire Federal government today." (http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-15.pdf)

Even President Obama weighed in on the issue, when in February of 2008 he released the statement, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." (http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php)

"Congressman Griffith's excuse that the language in H.R. 3558, that would allow large businesses to continue to receive federal small business contracts, was an accident is simply not believable," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. "It's ludicrous. I think Congressman Griffith is just another crooked politician and a classic example of everything the public hates about Washington. I think the American people are sick and tired of large corporations buying legislation from members of Congress, like Parker Griffith, that damage the middle class."

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Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Alabama Congressman Introduces Bill to Give Small Business Funds to His Top Campaign Contributors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - On September 14, 2009, Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith (D - AL5) introduced a new bill, H.R. 3558, which will allow some of his largest campaign contributors to land billions of dollars in federal small business contracts. (http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3558ih.txt.pdf)

Boeing and Northrop Grumman are two of Congressman Griffith's largest campaign contributors. If H.R. 3558 becomes law, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and hundreds of Fortune 1000 firms will be able to hold on to billions of dollars in federal contracts earmarked for middle class firms. (http://tiny.cc/mp06p )

Information from the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation (FPDS-NG) indicates the Obama Administration counted billions of dollars in contracts to many of the largest firms in the world towards the government's 23 percent small business contracting goal. During fiscal year (FY) 2008, the Obama Administration included over $775 million in awards to Textron in the government's small business data. Textron is a Fortune 500 firm with 43,000 employees and annual revenue of over $14 billion. In addition to Fortune 500 firms in the U.S., billions of dollars in contracts awarded to corporate giants in Italy, England, France, Holland and Korea were included in the Obama Administration's small business statistics.

The American Small Business League (ASBL) estimates that legitimate small businesses are losing over $100 billion a year in federal small business contracts as a result of the abuses. The ASBL has won a series of lawsuits against several federal agencies, which have forced the release of thousands of pages of data indicating that corporate giants in the U.S. and abroad have received hundreds of billions of dollars in federal small business contracts for over 10 years. (http://www.asbl.com/aboutus.html)

The Small Business Administration Office of Inspector (SBA OIG) condemned the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants in Report 5-15, referring to the abuses as, "One of the most important challenges facing the Small Business Administration and the entire Federal government today." (http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-15.pdf)

If Congressman Griffith's bill becomes law, billions of dollars in federal small business contracts could be diverted to Fortune 500 firms, corporate giants around the world, and their subsidiaries indefinitely.

In May of 2009, Congressman Hank Johnson (D - GA) introduced H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act of 2009, which will have the opposite effect of H.R. 3558. The ASBL played a major role in the drafting of H.R. 2568. The bill will halt the flow of federal small business contracts to large business. The ASBL estimates H.R. 2568 will redirect over $100 billion a year back to legitimate small businesses and deliver the largest economic stimulus for middle class firms to date.
(http://www.asbl.com/documents/hr2568.pdf)

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Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith Wants Big Businesses to Get Federal Small Business Funds

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - Huntsville Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith (D - AL5) has introduced a new bill in the House of Representatives that will allow divisions of Fortune 500 firms and thousands of other large businesses to receive billions of dollars in federal contracts earmarked for small businesses.

Several Fortune 500 firms in Congressman Griffith's district such as Boeing, Northrop Grumman and British Aerospace (BAE) are currently receiving millions of dollars in federal small business contracts through loopholes in federal contracting law.

If H.R. 3558 becomes law, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, BAE and their subsidiaries could continue to receive federal small business contracts indefinitely. Boeing and Northrop Grumman are amongst Congressman Griffith's largest campaign contributors. (http://tiny.cc/JWuUg)

Currently, there are 5,126 small businesses registered to do business with the federal government in the State of Alabama, according to the Central Contractor Registration database. If H.R. 3558 is passed and signed into law, more than 99 percent of the small businesses in Alabama would be put at a significant competitive disadvantage.

In 2005, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA IG) referred to the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants as, "One of the most important challenges facing the Small Business Administration and the entire Federal government today." (http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-15.pdf)

Since 2003, over a dozen federal investigations have found that Fortune 500 firms in the United States and some of the largest firms in Korea, Italy, Holland, France and England have received billions of dollars in federal small business contracts.

Another bill that has been introduced in the House of Representatives, "the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act of 2009," or H.R. 2568, is designed to close all of the loopholes, and halt the flow of federal small business contracts to large businesses.

H.R. 2568 was introduced by Congressman Hank Johnson (D - GA) and has 15 co-sponsors. Congressman Johnson's bill is backed by small business groups and chambers of commerce across the country.

Research by the American Small Business League (ASBL) estimates that legitimate small businesses are losing over $100 billion a year in federal small business contracts through various loopholes in federal contracting law and policy.

ASBL estimates that if H.R. 2568 becomes law, over $100 billion a year in federal small business contracts will be redirected to middle class firms nationwide. If Congressman Griffith's bill, H.R. 3558, becomes law billions of dollars in federal small business contracts will continue to be diverted to corporate giants.

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Please click here to watch a short clip about the ASBL's concerns regarding H.R. 3558: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbGwwEaEGSM



Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

Senate Committee Snubs Small Business Champions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - On Tuesday, September 22, 2009, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship will hold a roundtable discussion regarding contracting reform for small businesses, yet no individual with any track record of successfully campaigning for small businesses has been invited to testify.

The American Small Business League (ASBL) is raising concerns regarding the lack of small business voices that will be present at the committee-run roundtable event. The roundtable is tentatively scheduled to include: Joseph Jordan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and representatives from the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Department of Defense, according to a committee staffer.

The ASBL points to the fact that it is the only organization that has written a bill to address long standing abuses in federal small business contracting programs. Since 2002, the ASBL has waged a seven-year battle to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to large corporations. Despite the ASBL's documentable track record of advocacy, the committee has snubbed them repeatedly.

"We don't expect to be invited to these types of meetings because the Senate Committee on Small Business has no interest in contracting reform," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. "Since 2003, over a dozen federal investigations have found that billions of dollars in contracts earmarked for small businesses have been diverted to Fortune 500 firms. This issue has been featured on every major television network and in every major newspaper in the country, yet the committee has failed to lift a finger to stop it for seven years. 2009 represents the tenth anniversary of the diversion of federal small business contracts to large corporations."

Information in the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation (FPDS - NG) indicates that the Obama Administration included billions of dollars in contracts awarded to Fortune 500 firms and even some of the largest corporations in the world towards its fiscal year (FY) 2008 small business goals. Firms such as: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Dell Computers, British Aerospace (BAE), Rolls-Royce, French giant Thales, Ssangyong Corporation headquartered in South Korea and the Italian Finmeccanica SpA, received billions of dollars in federal small business contracts during FY 2008.

In the last decade, no member of the Senate Small Business Committee has proposed legislation to stem the flow of federal small business contracts to corporate giants. ASBL points to the fact that in 2009, the Senate Small Business Committee unanimously passed a bill that would allow companies owned by some of the nation's wealthiest investors to receive federal small business contracts.

"Small business owners around the country refer to that committee as the Senate Anti-Small Business Committee," Chapman said.

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New Bill Will Create More Loopholes in Federal Contracting Programs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. – A new bill introduced into the House of Representatives could create yet another loophole in federal small business contracting programs, which would divert more federal small business contracts to corporate giants.

The Small Business Fair Competition Act (H.R. 3558), was introduced by Congressman Parker Griffith (D – AL) on September 14, and would allow firms that have outgrown the federal government’s small business size standards, because of a government contract, to compete and be counted as a small business once that contract is competed again.

Since 2003, more than 15 federal investigations have found that billions of dollars in federal contracts intended for small businesses have been awarded to Fortune 500 corporations and other clearly large firms around the world. In Report 5-15, the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General referred to the diversion of federal small business contracts to large corporations as, “One of the most important challenges facing the Small Business Administration and the entire Federal government today.” (http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-15.pdf)

During fiscal year (FY) 2008, 60 of the Top 100 recipients of federal small business contracts were large businesses, according to an analysis by the American Small Business League (ASBL). (http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090825TopSmallBusinessContractors2008.pdf)

To date, Congress has not passed legislation to stop the diversion of federal small business contracts to large corporations, and now H.R. 3558 has the potential to create yet another loophole allowing small business contracts to go to some of the largest corporations in the world. During FY 2008, corporate giants Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and British Aerospace (BAE) received federal small business contracts. All four firms maintain campuses located in Congressman Griffith’s district.

“With H.R. 3558, Congressman Griffith has created a colossal, anti-small business loophole to divert federal small business funds to some of his largest campaign contributors,” ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. “This is one of the most egregious examples I have ever seen of a member of Congress selling legislation to the highest bidder.”

The ASBL has launched a campaign in opposition to H.R. 3558 and is encouraging members of Congress to support H.R. 2568, the Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act of 2009.

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Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575

OBAMA BREAKS CAMPAIGN PROMISE AND GIVES BILLIONS TO CORPORATE GIANTS

Government Loophole Will Slow Economic Recovery for Middle Class America

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2009

Petaluma, Calif. - A loophole created by the federal government is having a significant negative impact on the economic recovery of middle class America. The latest U.S. Census Bureau data shows that 98 percent of all U.S. firms have less than 100 employees. These firms employ over 50.2 percent of the private sector work force, create over 97 percent of all net new jobs and generate over 50 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Federal law stipulates that 23 percent of the total value of all federal contracts awarded each year shall go to small businesses.

With the annual federal acquisition budget hovering around $700 billion, the nation's 27 million small businesses should be able to count on approximately $161 billion a year in federal contracts being channeled into the middle class economy.

Unfortunately, the federal government has created colossal loopholes that have diverted the vast majority of federal small business contracts away from middle class America and into the hands of many of the largest firms in the world.

The federal government adopted a policy, which allowed large businesses to acquire a small business and retain that firm's small business status for 20 years. A reporter from CBS forced this out of an SBA official in a 2004 interview. In July of 2007, the Small Business Administration (SBA) implemented a rule change requiring 5-year recertification of small business status. This rule change "grandfathered" large businesses currently receiving federal small business contracts into the government's contracting data. As a result, the overwhelming majority of federal contracts intended for American small businesses will be diverted to Fortune 500 firms and thousands of large businesses around the world until the year 2012.

Last week, the Obama Administration released the latest data on federal contracts awarded to small businesses. The top recipient of federal small business contracts was Textron. Textron is a Fortune 500 firm with 43,000 employees and over $14 billion in annual sales. Their AAI division received $775,773,505 in small business contracts during fiscal year (FY) 2008. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090821Top100SBContracting%20Numbers2008.pdf)

Other firms receiving federal small business contracts included, British Aerospace (BAE), Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, GTSI, L-3 Communications, Northrop Grumman, Booz Allen Hamilton, General Dynamics, 3M Company, Hewlett-Packard, AT&T, Dell Computer, Staples, Office Depot, Xerox, General Electric, Rolls-Royce and French firm Thales Communications. Finmeccanica SpA in Italy with more than 73,000 employees received $273,872,995 in small business contracts; Ssangyong Corporation in Seoul, South Korea received $254,149,950 in federal small business contracts. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/20090825TopSmallBusinessContractors2008.pdf)

The American Small Business League (ASBL) estimates that over $100 billion a year in federal contracts that by law should go to middle class firms are diverted to worldwide corporate giants. (www.asbl.com)

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Please click here to watch our response to the Obama Administration's small business contracting statistics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV0jeTrYPsM

Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575