INLANDER :: Revival Lighting owner Janine Vaughn gets props from President Obama
Check out the Pacific Northwest Inlander profile of Main Street Alliance of Washington member Janine Vaughn (Revival Lighting, Spokane) who was recently highlighted by President Obama as an example of the thousands of small business owners benefiting from health care reform.
The Main Street Alliance, Vaughn explains, is made up of mostly smaller businesses. That’s why they tend to stand in such stark contrast to traditional business lobbying groups
Read the full article here.
SEATTLE TIMES :: A Bank of Washington could help state businesses on road to recovery
In a guest column to the Seattle Times, Main Street Alliance of Washington members Makini Howell (Plum Bistro, Seattle) and Gregg Lanza (Noble Horse Gallery, Oak Harbor) make the case for creating a state community investment bank, modeled after the Bank of North Dakota.
For more than 90 years, the Bank of North Dakota has partnered with local community banks to boost small-business and family-farmer lending. The bank returns profits to the state’s general fund, easing the responsibility of taxpayers for funding important state priorities. The Bank of North Dakota enjoys broad bipartisan support and has contributed to the state’s healthy economy, which boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the country and a state budget in surplus.
Read the full column here.
Obama highlights story of Spokane small business owner benefiting from health reform
Health reform’s small business tax credit helps Spokane’s Revival Lighting and thousands of WA small businesses afford health care
Today, at a keynote address before a gathering of more than 1,000 health care advocates, President Obama highlighted the story of Spokane small business owner, Janine Vaughn (Revival Lighting). Over the last 12 years, Revival Lighting’s health care premiums have tripled. Now, they are one of thousands of Washington small businesses that are benefiting from a health care reform’s small business tax credit covering up to 35% of the cost of a health plan.
Vaughn is a steering committee member of the Main Street Alliance of Washington, a coalition of more than 2,000 small businesses in Washington.
Earlier this week, the White House blog highlighted Janine’s story, including an audio interview with Janine. The Spokesman Review reported on Janine getting singled out by the President.
TACOMA NEWS TRIBUNE :: Bills by Rep. Hasegawa and Sen. Prentice would create a state bank
The Tacoma News Tribune reports on small business support for legislation creating a state community investment bank.
Joshua Welter of Main Street Alliance, a Washington small business coalition, said the proposal was a good idea because it would stimulate lending to companies too small to get commercial loans in a tight credit market.
Read the full article here.
Main Street Alliance Member Meets the President
Today was an exciting day for Main Street Alliance of Washington member Jody Hall (Cupcake Royale, Seattle/Bellevue). She was invited to participate in a backyard conversation with President Obama and Senator Patty Murray about women and the economy. Jody made us proud, doing a great job representing the Main Street Alliance and sharing the story of her business.
Did the President get to try Jody’s cupcakes? “I suspect Secret Service confiscated them and are now eating them as we speak,” Obama said.
Check out coverage in NPR, CNN, The White House Blog, The LA Times, The Christian Science Monitor, The Seattle Times, The Spokesman Review, and The Stranger.