Whereas, Springfield, Oregon celebrates our local small businesses and the contributions they make to our local economy and community; and
Whereas, according to the United States Small Business Administration, there are 31.7 million small businesses in the United States, they represent 99.7% of firms with paid employees, and they are responsible for 65.1% of net new jobs created from 2000 to 2019; and
Whereas, small businesses employ 47.1% of the employees in the private sector in the United States, 88% of U.S. consumers feel a personal commitment to support small businesses in the wake of the pandemic, and 92% of small business owners have pivoted the way they do business to stay open during the pandemic; and
Whereas, 97% of Small Business Saturday® shoppers recognize the impact they can make by shopping small, 85% of them also encouraged friends and family to do so, too; and
Whereas, 56% of shoppers reported they shopped online with a small business on Small Business Saturday in 2020; and more than 50% of consumers who reported shopping small endorsed a local business on social media or shopped at a local business because of a social media recommendation; and
Whereas, Springfield, Oregon supports our local businesses that create jobs, boost our local economy and preserve our communities; and
Whereas, advocacy groups, as well as public and private organizations, across the country have endorsed the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday.
Now, Therefore, I, Sean VanGordon, Mayor of Springfield, Oregon do hereby proclaim, November 27, 2021, as:
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY
And urge the residents of our community, and communities across the country, to support small businesses and merchants on Small Business Saturday and throughout the year.
Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon