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1/29/2021

READOUT: Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen’s Meeting with Small Business Owners | U.S. Department of the Tr…

READOUT: Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen’s Meeting
with Small Business Owners
January 28, 2021

Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen participated in a virtual discussion with small
business owners to discuss the unprecedented public health and economic crises that have
le millions of Americans struggling to get by. Secretary Yellen also discussed strategies to
support American small businesses in urban and rural areas alike.
Secretary Yellen listened to the individual stories and painful concerns of these leaders. She
highlighted President Biden’s American Rescue plan and how it will help millions of people,
including small business owners, make it to the other side of this pandemic. Secretary Yellen
also emphasized how investing in institutions like Community Development Financial
Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions can help small businesses le behind
during this crisis -- and traditionally excluded from access to capital -- get the resources they
need.
Secretary Yellen reiterated that the price of doing nothing in response to public health crisis
and resulting economic one is much higher than the price of doing something, and that the
benefits of acting now – and acting big – will far outweigh the costs over the long term.
The Secretary was joined by seven small business owners representing a diverse group of
industries, demographics and regions of the country:
Pilar Guzmán Zavala, Owner and CEO, Half Moon Empanadas; Miami, Florida
Samir Idnani, Co-Owner, NaanStop; Atlanta, Georgia
Shayai Lucero, Owner, Earth and Sky Floral Designs and Gallery; Old Laguna, New
Mexico
Christian Medrano, Owner, Brew Brew Co ee & Tea; Chicago, Illinois
Claudia Mendoza, Owner, I. Q. Constructions, Inc.; Delray Beach, Florida
Shaundell Newsome, Visionary & Founder, Sumnu Marketing and Chairman of the Board,
Urban Chamber of Commerce; Las Vegas, Nevada

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0007

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1/29/2021

READOUT: Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen’s Meeting with Small Business Owners | U.S. Department of the Tr…

Anne Zimmerman, CPA and Founder & Owner, Zimmerman & Co CPAs Inc., and Treasurer,
Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce; Cincinnati, Ohio

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0007

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