Trying to Expand a Local Business Is 'Tortuous'

The Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted a roundtable discussion Monday in which U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis answered questions and listened to suggestions regarding the plight of small business owners.

The meeting, held at Bright House Field, was attended by about a dozen local business owners, each of whom expressed concerns about the difficulties of owning a private company in this economy. One business owner said trying to expand within the current red tape is "tortuous."

Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, said he wanted to talk to local business owners "to find out how we can assist them... and help create an environment where they can expand and create jobs."

Representatives from a variety of fields, including dry cleaning, software manufacturing and general contracting, hit on a number of topics that plague small business owners today, including health care for employees, simplifying the tax code and providing jobs for veterans.

Andrew Caudell, vice president of D-Mar General Contracting, said that the availability of credit for development is "a big issue."

"For many of our potential clients, getting credit is a difficult proposition," Caudell said.

Bilirakis told Caudell that a "couple of bills" regulating access to capital have passed the House but have yet to pass the Senate. "We have to attack it from different angles, at both the federal and state levels," he said.

Julie Daniels, a 21-year veteran of the armed forces and owner of Handyman Matters, voiced concern over discrepancies in the availability of jobs for veterans. Daniels said she has worked with state Sen. Jack Latvala, R-St. Petersburg, on contracts for veterans, many of which are off limits to those who are not service disabled.

"I'm trying to get them to include all vets, not just those who are service disabled," Daniels said. "I don't understand why all the benefits are given just to those who are disabled and not every veteran who has served their country."

Bilirakis told Daniels he was willing to work with her on identifying more job opportunities for all veterans.

Susan McCarthy, co-owner of Sun Country Cleaners, lamented the difficulty of securing the financial backing necessary for business expansion.

"What handcuffs us is financing," McCarthy said. "The last time we tried to expand, it was a six-month adventure. It's the most tortuous event to go through. That's what's really preventing us from doing the expansion we want."

Bilirakis was sympathetic to the business owners' situations.

"We need to loosen up the restrictions on the access to capital that are making it so difficult for companies to expand and create more jobs," he said. "Business owners are taking a risk, but these obstacles are in the way.

"Every bill we've passed in the House this year has been about creating jobs. We need to make tough decisions ... and do what's best for our children, our grandchildren and the future of our country."