{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://schweikert.house.gov/2020/10/07/schweikert-hill-foster-host-virtual-roundtable-support-local/", "Schweikert, Hill, Foster Host Virtual Roundtable to Support Local Entrepreneurs", "2020-10-07", "2020", "2020-10", "Republican", "House", "AZ", "David Schweikert", "S001183", "schweikert.house.gov", "schweikert", "https://schweikert.house.gov/category/congress_press_release/", "scraper", "[[{\u201cfid\u201d:\u201d1817\u2033,\u201dview_mode\u201d:\u201ddefault\u201d,\u201dfields\u201d:{\u201calt\u201d:\u201da\u201d,\u201dclass\u201d:\u201dmedia-element file-congress-small\u201d,\u201ddata-delta\u201d:\u201d2\u2033,\u201dformat\u201d:\u201ddefault\u201d,\u201dfield_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]\u201d:\u201da\u201d},\u201dlink_text\u201d:null,\u201dtype\u201d:\u201dmedia\u201d,\u201dfield_deltas\u201d:{\u201c2\u201d:{\u201calt\u201d:\u201da\u201d,\u201dclass\u201d:\u201dmedia-element file-congress-small\u201d,\u201ddata-delta\u201d:\u201d2\u2033,\u201dformat\u201d:\u201ddefault\u201d,\u201dfield_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]\u201d:\u201da\u201d}},\u201dattributes\u201d:{\u201calt\u201d:\u201da\u201d,\u201dclass\u201d:\u201dmedia-element file-default\u201d,\u201ddata-delta\u201d:\u201d2\u2033}}]]\n\nWASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, Rep. David Schweikert (AZ-06), along with Reps. French Hill (AR-02) and Bill Foster (IL-11), co-chairs of the House Entrepreneurship Caucus, hosted a virtual roundtable with local entrepreneurs. Over Zoom, the representatives heard about the impact of COVID-19 on new and small businesses, identified pressure points and areas of vulnerability on business owners, and discussed potential policy options to address the needs of startups and \u201cmom and pop\u201d businesses.\n\n\u201cSmall businesses have always been, and will continue to be, an integral part of our communities. It was a pleasure to hear from other entrepreneurs across the country who utilized the Paycheck Protection Program, and from our very own, Lori Anna Harrison, Founder and President of DLP Marketing in Scottsdale, about how the program helped her Arizona business,\u201d said Rep. Schweikert. \u201cI appreciate each of the entrepreneurs who took time to join us to discuss their experiences working through COVID19. I am hopeful Congress will re-open the remaining funds available in the Paycheck Protection Program account to help ensure any business on the brink of closing can be supported through these unprecedented times.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you to Congressman Schweikert for inviting me to join today\u2019s roundtable and share the story of my company, DLP Marketing. As a member of the entrepreneurial community in Arizona, I look forward to continuing today\u2019s conversation on ways Congress can work to support small businesses like mine, especially during these times,\u201d said Lori Anna Harrison, from Scottsdale.\n\n\u201cStartups are crucial to our economy\u2019s ability to keep hardworking Arkansans employed and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,\u201d said Rep. Hill. \u201cThe coronavirus poses a threat to thousands of startups and local businesses. While programs like the Paycheck Protection Program and the Federal Reserve\u2019s Main Street Lending Facility have been a helpful lifeline, Congress needs to ensure we are promoting policies that further innovation, job creation and economic growth. I enjoyed hearing from small businesses across the country and look forward to working with my fellow Entrepreneurship Caucus members to find bipartisan solutions.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you Representative Hill for your efforts to support innovators like me. My company, BOND.AI, is a human-centered artificial intelligence platform that helps banks understand user behavior and nudge customers towards improved financial health. As a former community banker and former president of the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, Representative Hill understands what targeted investments are needed to keep local businesses on Main Street afloat,\u201d said Uday Akkaraju, from Little Rock.\n\n\u201cAs someone who knows what it takes to launch and sustain a business, I know that the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially difficult for small businesses in Illinois and all across our nation,\u201d said Rep. Foster. \u201cWe have a lot of work to do to reverse the economic damage this crisis has unleashed on entrepreneurs and we need to pursue additional relief measures that will help businesses stay open, keep their workers employed, and resume growth once this crisis has passed. I\u2019m committed to working with my colleagues to find common sense, bipartisan solutions that will benefit our communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe biggest challenge in pre-COVID and post-COVID business is the lack of public-private partnership opportunities. Economic development practices haven\u2019t changed for generations. And today, with fewer businesses thriving in local markets it\u2019s more obvious than ever a new approach is necessary. Government is not built for innovative thinking and that is exactly what business owners do on a daily basis. They survive by doing what it takes and this is where innovation is born. They think about how to solve their customer problems with forecasting and sweat equity. If that works for businesses then it should be what the government recognizes as the secret sauce to economic development opportunities. In short, if local entrepreneurs produce revenue, then ask, \u2018what can we do to facilitate their ability to continue\u2019. COVID has been an opportunity for business to pivot and survive. I\u2019m grateful the Federal government quickly put into place the PPP program and the SBA supported their 504 and 7a loan programs. The future is now open to more innovation because we\u2019ve never been through a time like this before in our history,\u201d said Jimi Allen, from Aurora.\n\n###\n\nBack to News", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:34:36Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://schweikert.house.gov/2020/10/07/schweikert-hill-foster-host-virtual-roundtable-support-local/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9828060865402222, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}