Servpro recognizes Small Business Week April 30-May 6
From Sunday, April 30, to Saturday, May 6, America will celebrate Small Business Week, an annual event sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Association. For Ray and JoAnn Hopkins, owners of Servpro of Sussex County, Small Business Week is an opportunity for national and community leaders to recognize the critical contributions of America's entrepreneurs and small business owners to the country's economy.
Ray Hopkins emphasizes there is nothing "small" about small business when it comes to its importance to the nation's economic health. According to SBA statistics, 28 million small businesses in America account for 54 percent of all U.S. sales; of those, the 600,000 U.S. franchised small businesses, like Servpro, account for 40 percent of all retail sales and provide jobs for some 8 million people. As these local business people work to grow their businesses, they help create 21st century jobs, drive innovation, and increase America's global competitiveness.
For entrepreneurs like Hopkins, becoming a franchise owner is one path to small business ownership. "Entrepreneurship is at the heart of a successful small business - the drive to own and grow a business through your own efforts," said Sue Steen, Servpro Industries Inc. chief executive officer. "Franchise organizations like Servpro give entrepreneurs a framework for their ambitions, access to state-of-the-art tools and processes, and a roadmap for sound financial management and growth."
Some franchised small businesses offer entrepreneurs an opportunity to own and run their own small business while providing a service to the community they live and work in. With Servpro, for example, franchise ownership helps entrepreneurs combine their hometown knowledge and the emotional investment they have in their community with access to the latest disaster remediation technology and products. This combination creates a community asset that could prove invaluable to home and business owners who are struck by the unexpected.
"I'm proud to be a small business owner in my community," says Hopkins. "But, as a Servpro small business owner, I know that the unexpected can happen - a flood, a fire, an explosion, a storm, a mudslide, whatever the event might be, big or small. When the unexpected does happen, I'm also proud to know that my staff and I are ready to respond immediately and effectively, to limit the damage to property and disruption to lives in my community. Having both an emotional and financial stake in the community is what distinguishes small businesses with local owners from other businesses. And that's what makes small businesses such an important thread in the fabric of this country."
Servpro of Sussex County specializes in disaster restoration, cleanup and repair services, helping to remediate damage, making it "like it never even happened," for both commercial and residential customers. For more information, contact Ray and JoAnn Hopkins at 302-856-9768 or office@Servpro5930.com.
