Each year since 1963, our country and Commonwealth has honored entrepreneurs and small business owners by celebrating Small Business Week.

Delegate Ron Villanueva issued the following statement: “As a Virginia Beach small business owner for over 16 years, I can appreciate the hours of hard work, the sacrifices, and the risk involved with starting and growing a small business. This week I say thank you to those employees of small businesses and our small business owners for creating jobs for our neighbors and strengthening our economy here in Hampton Roads.”

Small businesses create two out of every three new jobs in the United States, and more than half of Americans own or work in a small business. In Virginia, thousands of small business owners are working to grow our economy and strengthen our communities every day.

“Recently recognized by Inside Business, I congratulate the 2013 Small Business of the Year Award Recipients for their success, the jobs they’ve created, and the boost they’ve given to the Hampton Roads economy.”

• Jim White, President – Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios
• E.J. Strelitz, President and CEO – The Dump
• Louie Ochave, Director of Finance – reQuire Release Tracking
• Bruce Winston – A tribute to Bruce Winston 15 lessons from a 5-year-old entrepreneur
• Brad Scott, President and CEO (Military Veteran Entrepreneur) – Cetan Corp
• Scott J. Bisciotti, President – Command Post Technologies, Inc.
• John E. Karafa, President and owner – Leebcor Services LLC
• John M. Ownes Jr., CEO – Prevailance Inc.
• Bruce Thompson, CEO – Gold Key/PHR Hotels & Resorts
• Martin A. Joseph, President and CEO – 360IT Partners

Since 2009, Delegate Villanueva has worked to pass a number of pieces of legislation that provide incentives to expand business opportunities or attract companies to Virginia, which has strengthened Virginia’s workforce and improved Virginia’s business climate. He worked to reform Virginia’s legal system to reduce unnecessary lawsuits and lower the cost of doing business in Virginia. He established the Small Business Investment Grant Fund to help new businesses create jobs. He also fought to strengthen Virginia’s pro-worker, pro-jobs labor laws, in order to protect businesses from union bosses.

Additionally, Delegate Villanueva patroned HB1951, which raised the threshold for contractors biding on government capital improvement projects from $100,000 to $500,000. This put businesses back to work by removing unnecessary bureaucracy and allowing businesses to use their monies toward hiring more people or investing in equipment. The legislation benefitted Small Women and Minority (SWAM) Businesses in the Commonwealth. These are just a few of the many steps Delegate Villanueva and the General Assembly have taken to encourage and strengthen small businesses in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Since 2010, Virginia’s General Assembly has dedicated over $175 million to economic development. That includes incentives to job creators, money used to attract businesses to Virginia, funding to promote tourism, and much more. As a result, our unemployment rate has fallen, and Virginia has become known as one of the nation’s top states for business.

“Thank you to all of our small business owners, their employees, and families for what you do to strengthen Virginia and to help make this the best place to live, work, and grow a business.”