Fairfax County supervisors proclaim May 16-20 as Small Business Week in 2011

Small businesses make up more than 90 percent of companies in the county; dozens of organizations exist to support growth of businesses throughout the county

Fairfax County, Virginia USA, Thursday, May 12, 2011 -

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors proclaimed May 16-20 as Small Business Week in Fairfax County in keeping with the celebration of 2011 National Small Business Week.

The Board of Supervisors on May 10 issued the Small Business Week proclamation. A resolution passed by the board noted that more than 90 percent of all businesses in Fairfax County are small, that small businesses diverse in ethnic background and industry sectors create thousands of jobs in the county every year, and that dozens of organizations support the growth of small businesses throughout the county.

“Certainly we all see the headlines when another national corporation comes to Fairfax County, but what we don’t see often enough is the role of small businesses in our county,” said Supervisor Linda Q. Smyth (Providence District). We hope that this will remind people of the important role they play in our economy.”

“Oftentimes we don’t have an appreciation as to how many [small businesses] we have and how important they are in terms of employment and making a difference in our communities,” said Supervisor Gerald W. Hyland (Mount Vernon District).

Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), thanked the Board of Supervisors for issuing the proclamation and resolution, and cited the role that support organizations play in the development of small businesses.

“We have chambers of commerce that advocate for small businesses around the county, but we also have a variety of organizations – some public and others private – that help businesses take the next step but also encourage budding entrepreneurs to take the first step,” Gordon said. “That is why we’re going to continue having a healthy economy going forward.”

The FCEDA placed ads in the May 9 and May 16 issues of Capital Business, a Washington Post publication, and the May 13 issue of the Washington Business Journal, recognizing more than three dozen organizations that support development of the small business community around Fairfax County.