When Mayor Anthony Foxx strode Tuesday into Amelie’s, the popular French-style bakery and cafe in Noda, it didn’t take long for him to tap his feminine side. Greeted by a room a small group of female business owners, Foxx proudly declared himself a "hugger" and made a point of embracing all the ladies, one by one.
It was a light-hearted moment in an otherwise serious think-fest (not to mention campaign stop) about what Foxx should do to breathe life into Charlotte’s economy, where unemployment rose nearly a percentage point to 11.2 percent from 10.4 percent in May.
"This is a way for me to keep my ear to the ground," Foxx told the group, whose eclectic ranks included, among others, the owner of an adult care facility, a yoga studio, and a film production company. "Let’s face it: for the past two years, there’s been a headwind when it comes to job creation."
No dispute there - and Foxx couldn’t have picked a better audience for his message. According to a recent American Express survey of female-owned businesses, some 8.1 million women owned businesses operate in the U.S., and account for about 20 percent of all enterprises.
Even more, between 1997 and 2011 the number of female-owned firm grew by 50 percent, outpacing male-owned firms which grew by 25 percent during the same period, according to the study based on data from the three most recent U.S. census studies.
"It’s obvious you already know what you’re doing," Foxx quipped. “I don’t want to start giving prescriptions for problems you don’t have."
Instead, Foxx mostly listened as the nearly dozen women recited a litany of issues needing a bit of mayoral muscle. There were suggestions about tax credits and other incentives to encourage investing in small businesses, ideas for job training programs to improve the labor supply, prodding to bring more retail vitality into uptown Charlotte.
The consensus was this: Charlotte, known for lavishing its resources on big businesses, too often turns a blind - or suspicious - eye to its growing community of innovators and entrepreneurs.
"The good news is that I’m a pioneer," said Lynn Ivey, president of the Ivey Adult Day Care, a lodge-style facility which caters to families living with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other long-term conditions. "And the bad news is that I’m a pioneer."
Over the past several months, Foxx has talked increasingly about the importance of small businesses. He has championed everything from the city’s new small business web portal, to cutting government red tape in licensing and permitting, to building trade relationships with China, Brazil and India.
But at Tuesday’s roundtable, Foxx conceded that progress has been slower than he had hoped. "We need get more engaged and lean forward," Foxx said. "When a city gets pegged as a place that’s good for small businesses and entrepreneurship, it only creates more activity."
Posts
