Thanks to the Heroes in Our Community

by Gary Toebben

Yesterday we celebrated Memorial Day. Many of us had the day off while thousands of men and women in uniform were on active duty around the world protecting the freedom of our great nation and other people around the world. We owe our freedom and the opportunities we have today to the veterans who have served and protected our nation in the past and to the young men and women who are serving today. 

Unfortunately, too many of our veterans are unemployed — some because of the mental and physical trauma of battle, but many others because our economy is still trying to recover from the great recession. The unemployment rate in California is still 12 percent, the second highest rate in the nation.

On Sunday, July 10, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles is sponsoring a job fair for veterans at Sony Studios in Culver City. The “Hiring Our Heroes” job fair will have space for 200 companies to discuss their job opportunities with 1,500 veterans. We encourage the employers of Los Angeles County to show up en masse to take advantage of the outstanding skills that our veterans have developed while serving in the armed forces of our nation. The deadline for employers to register is Tuesday, June 14.

On Tuesday, June 7, the Chamber and the U.S. Small Business Administration will honor another group of heroes, the men and women who own and operate America’s small businesses. This annual Small Business Awards luncheon will recognize outstanding small business success stories and individuals and companies that have been influential in helping them succeed.

The average small business owner works six to seven days a week and lives with the daily stress of competing with larger firms, enhancing the quality of their products and services, and making payroll so that the families of employees that depend on the company's success will have food on their tables. We will recognize these small business heroes on June 7. Please join us in celebrating the small business owners in our community.

America owes its freedom to men and women who have served our nation in uniform. And we owe our economic opportunities to the men and women who start small businesses. Even the largest companies in our nation started out as small businesses. America cannot maintain its status as a great nation unless we honor and support both of these groups of heroes. 

And that's The Business Perspective.