Business Forward

On April 21, Business Forward, Small Business for America’s Future, and other partners hosted a briefing and Q&A on building our infrastructure back better with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Secretary Buttigieg and NewDEAL Leader Mayor Woodfin of Birmingham, Alabama discussed integrating racial and regional equity into the American Jobs Plan rollout, creating good jobs, and providing opportunities for small businesses to get involved in infrastructure projects.This briefing is the first in our Build Back Better briefing series. This series will cover the Biden administration’s policy priorities across a range of topics, including those covered by the American Jobs Plan and the recently passed American Rescue Plan.

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

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

On April 1, Business Forward hosted a briefing on manufacturing in the Heartland. White House Associate Director of Public Engagement Will McIntee joined for introductory remarks on how the Biden Administration’s American Jobs Plan will impact the Heartland. After these remarks, Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio moderated a discussion between CEO of Heartland Forward Ross DeVol and CEO of Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority Rick Platt on manufacturing in the Heartland, answering questions from business leaders on entrepreneurship, reshoring jobs, and how climate concerns affect electric vehicle suppliers and the manufacturing sector, overall. 01:12 - Will McIntee's remarks13:47 - Ross DeVol's opening remarks18:22 - Rick Platt's opening remarks20:35 - Q&A moderated by Mayor Nan Whaley

On March 24, Business Forward welcomed New York business leaders Daphany Rose Sanchez, Executive Director and Founder of Kinetic Communities Consulting, and Susannah Bradley, Marketing Director for SunCommon, to discuss recent climate legislation and funding a just clean energy transition. During the conversation, our guests discussed New York’s climate leadership and the Climate and Community Investment Act. They addressed the impact of a clean energy transition on local jobs, investment, and businesses, and how small businesses can get engaged.Interested in telling Albany to fund the clean energy transition? Sign on to our business leader statement: https://secure.everyaction.com/9ZUL8_vIkUK7cFqS9hlo7g2. ResourcesNY Renews: https://www.nyrenews.org/ Climate Works For All: https://alignny.org/campaign/climate-works-for-all/

On March 18, Business Forward welcomed Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, who represents Washington’s first district, for a briefing on H.R. 1, the For the People Act.During the briefing, the Congresswoman outlined the various pro-democracy reforms proposed in H.R. 1, including the creation of a nationwide standard for early voting, the expansion of opportunities to vote by mail, and increased protection from misinformation and cyber attacks that interfere with our elections. She also discussed the importance of a well-functioning democracy for the business community.

On March 16th, Business Forward and Small Business for America’s future briefed Bharat Ramamurti, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, on the American Rescue Plan. He answered questions from business leaders on the plan’s industry-specific provisions, how small businesses will benefit, and what is coming next.This briefing is part of a series of briefings Business Forward and our partner Small Business for America's Future will conduct with Biden officials on critical economic, climate, and health care issues.

On February 24, our network briefed Biden officials on the American Rescue Plan. Biden’s Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, Congressman Cedric Richmond joined us for introductory remarks, and Bharat Ramamurti, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, answered questions from business leaders on economic recovery, the plan’s equity components, and PPP loans. This briefing was part of a series of briefings Business Forward and our partner Small Business for America's Future will conduct with Biden officials on critical economic, climate, and health care policy.

On January 15, Co-chair of the Biden-Harris transition team and Biden’s Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, Congressman Cedric Richmond joined us for introductory remarks. Governor Gina Raimondo, President-elect Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Commerce, and Isabel Guzman, his nominee for Small Business Administrator, talked with Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck of Washington, and answered questions from business leaders on economic recovery, racial and gender equity, health care, helping rural America, and climate change. Both nominees discussed how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted small businesses across the country, and their plans to help business leaders build back better. This briefing was part of a series of briefings Business Forward and our partner Small Business for America's Future will conduct with President-elect Biden’s nominees for critical economic, climate, and health care posts.

On Wednesday, January 6, Business Forward and Small Business For America’s Future welcomed Neera Tanden, President-elect Biden’s nominee for Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Tanden discussed her background and OMB’s role in President-elect Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, and answered questions from our network of business leaders.

On Wednesday, October 28, Business Forward welcomed Ben Harris, Former Chief Economist to Vice President, Obama-Biden Administration, for a briefing on Vice President Biden’s plan to create jobs and investment in the Heartland.

On Thursday, October 15, Business Forward welcomed National Rural Engagement Director Will McIntee at Biden for President for a Solutions 2020: Real-world Recommendations for the Next President briefing. This briefing focused on the Vice President's plan for agriculture and sustainable infrastructure development.

On Wednesday, September 23, Business Forward welcomed National Rural Engagement Director Will McIntee at Biden for President for a Solutions 2020: Real-world Recommendations for the Next President briefing as part of small business week. This briefing focused on the Vice President's plan for engaging small businesses located in rural communities.

Jim Doyle, president of Business Forward, offers advice on how business leaders can communicate their ideas on transitioning to a green job economy with local media. Business Forward has helped more than 175,000 business leaders brief policymakers and work with local media, publish op-eds, testify at public hearings, lobby members of Congress and the White House, and advocate online.

On Thursday, July 30, Business Forward and Small Business for America's Future welcomed Biden for President Senior Policy Advisor Seema Sadanandan and Deputy National Coalitions Director Jason Rodriguez for a Solutions 2020: Real-world Recommendations for the Next President briefing focused on the Vice President's plan for advancing racial equity in America.

On Tuesday, July 28, Business Forward Foundation welcomed John Bailey, visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, for a briefing on steps Congress can take to close the homework gap.On this call, Bailey outlined the causes of the homework gap, its impact on students during Covid-19, policy options, prospects for action in Congress, and steps local business leaders can take to help.

On Wednesday, July 22, Business Forward and Small Business for America's Future welcomed Biden for President Policy Director Stef Feldman and Deputy National Coalitions Director Jason Rodriguez for a briefing focused on the Vice President's plan for building our caring economy. They discussed the campaign's plan to mobilize American talent to build a 21st century caregiving and education workforce to ease the burden of care for working parents, especially women.

On Thursday, July 16, Business Forward welcomed Larry Levitt, Executive Vice President for Health Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, for a briefing on how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) serves as a safety net for those who have lost their employer-sponsored health insurance during the pandemic.Larry discussed the extent to which job losses have increased the number of uninsured Americans, and how the ACA provides coverage options for many of these Americans either through the marketplace exchange or through Medicaid. He also explained how Covid-19-related layoffs have worsened the coverage crisis for Americans living in 13 states that have yet to close their “Medicaid gap.”

On Wednesday, July 15, Business Forward and Small Business for America’s Future welcomed Biden for President Policy Director Stef Feldman for a Solutions 2020: Real-world Recommendations for the Next President briefing focused on the Vice President’s plan for modernizing our energy economy and building a sustainable infrastructure.

On Thursday, July 9, Business Forward and Small Business for America's Future welcomed Biden for President team members Jason Rodriguez, deputy national coalitions director, and Jake Sullivan, policy advisor, for a Solutions 2020: Real-world Recommendations for the Next President briefing focused on economic policy.Our guests from Biden for President discussed the campaign's commitment to small business growth, its plan for collecting recommendations from small business owners, the Vice President's 2020 economic agenda, and its focus on helping small businesses manage the COVID-19 crisis.