SHAHEEN: SUPPORTING FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS AND SMALL BUSINESSES IS CRITICAL FOR ECONOMY, JOB CREATION

(Lebanon, NH) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) this afternoon hosted a roundtable at Hypertherm with women businesses leaders to discuss efforts to encourage female entrepreneurship and small business growth. At Hyperthem, a manufacturer that employs more than 1,000 people in New Hampshire, Shaheen emphasized how providing women with business resources will help grow the economy in New Hampshire and across the country.

“Women have made remarkable achievements and contributions to our country and economy,” said Shaheen. “I’m proud to be a part of New Hampshire’s historic all-female delegation, but we have to do more, especially when it comes to supporting women entrepreneurs in New Hampshire and across the country.”

Shaheen continued, “Small businesses are the drivers of economic growth in the United States, so promoting female entrepreneurs and small businesses is good for economy and job creation.”

Though women make up over half the population in the United States, approximately only 30 percent of businesses are owned by women. That number is even lower in New Hampshire, with approximately 28 percent of businesses statewide owned by women. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, Shaheen has made supporting small businesses in New Hampshire a top priority while also promoting efforts to increase the number of women business owners. This afternoon's discussion centered on proposals that Shaheen has supported to boost female entrepreneurship, including increased funding for the Women’s Business Centers which provide management and technical assistance for women business owners through nearly 100 educational centers across the country.