SHAHEEN TOUTS IMPORTANCE OF EXPORTS, MANUFACTURING FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE SMALL BUSINESSES, JOBS
This afternoon, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) visited with businesses in Salem and Hudson and highlighted how expanding exporting opportunities for small businesses can help them grow and create New Hampshire jobs. Shaheen presented awards recognizing Corfin Industries and WS Badger for their excellence in exporting and toured Mercury Systems to highlight the importance of high-tech manufacturing.
“My father always told me that the best thing you can do for someone is to make sure they have a good job,” Shaheen said. “We have to find common-sense ways to strengthen our economy and exporting provides a tremendous opportunity, particularly for our small businesses to grow by tapping into new markets.
“Export promotion has been a top priority of mine ever since my days as New Hampshire governor, and it will continue to be a priority of mine as we look for ways to boost our small businesses so they can create more jobs.”
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. She has joined a Senate coalition to promote legislation that will spur the manufacturing industry and helped create the STEP program to boost export opportunities for small businesses. Shaheen also introduced the Small Business Export Growth Act to further help small businesses capitalize on export opportunities by removing red tape and improving federal export assistance programs for small businesses.
Last year, the Small Business Committee passed Shaheen’s bipartisan legislation to permanently reauthorize the SBA 504 refinance program which boosts access to capital for small businesses so that they can expand and create more jobs. The program supported nearly 500 loans for a total of $144 million dollars in New Hampshire in FY 2013 alone. She also won long-term reauthorization for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), a program that allows small businesses to compete for federal research and development programs.
