| Cardin talks business with local entrepreneurs Tells
Columbia audience, 'We're in tough economic times' Mobern Lighting Company has been in business for more than 60 years, creating energy efficient lighting from a factory in North Laurel. It is exactly the type of business that President Obama’s stimulus package is supposed to help, said company President William Stone. However, that money has failed to trickle down, and a lack of business forced Stone to lay off seven employees recently. “We should be at the epicenter,” Stone said. “But the funds are not making their way down to the street.” Stone was one of about 70 small business leaders who gathered Friday morning at the Howard Community College Business Training Center in Columbia to hear U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin talk about what the federal government is doing to help them through the recession — and to offer some comments of their own. After a brief introduction, Cardin fielded questions on subjects that ranged from health care to taxes to federal government contracts. “The last three months have not been good months for our economy,” Cardin said. “We haven’t yet started the recovery.” Cardin, a member of the Senate’s committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, touted several recent congressional efforts designed to help small business owners. These included reducing fees on government programs that lend to small business, increasing the amount on loans the Small Business Administration will insure and making it easier for contractors to post surety bonds on projects. “The bottom line is we’re in tough economic times and we need to make sure the programs are working,” he said. In response to Stone’s question, Cardin promised to find out what area buildings are getting money to become energy efficient so Howard County businesses can compete for the contracts. He said the federal government has been biased towards larger companies in handing out contracts, something he hopes to see change with the new administration. “It’s a culture problem and we’re trying to change it,” he said. One issue raised by several people was a change in the law that would require businesses to pay roughly 65 percent of health insurance costs for recently laid-off employees through the federal COBRA program. Although the federal government would reimburse businesses, paying the money up front would be troublesome for small companies, owners said. Cardin said he would look into the matter, but also said: “It’s a temporary program. ... It’s not meant to be a burden on business.” Cardin said he wanted business owners to tell him their specific problems, as he could use their stories in pushing for reforms. “You give me a face to the issue,” he said. Pamela Klahr, president and CEO of the Howard County Chamber of Commerce, said about 85 percent of the group’s roughly 800 members are small businesses. Many of them contract with the federal government, she said, and the chamber often fields questions from them about the stimulus package and federal policy. Cardin held a similar forum for small business owners last year and is a strong advocate for their interests, she said. County Executive Kenneth Ulman, who also attended the forum, said Howard County is doing well compared to other parts of the state and country, but that it is not immune from the recession. “These are tough times and we need all the help we can get,” he said. Ulman said he understood the frustration of business owners like Stone, as news about the stimulus has been widespread but the process of getting money can be slower than expected. County officials meet every other day to see what stimulus money is available and how it might be used, he said. Although some of the news at the forum was grim, Cardin ended on an optimistic note “We’re going to come through this recession,” he said. “Things are going to get better.” |