Small Business Week is being celebrated throughout America during the week of May 3-9, 2021.

An annual event sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA), the 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.

Every year since 1963 SBA takes the opportunity to highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and others from across the nation through National Small Business Week.

Locally, LaSalle Economic Development District President Walter E. Dorroh, Jr. emphasizes there is nothing “small” about small business when it comes to its importance to the nation’s economic health.

According to statistics from the SBA, 28 million small businesses in America account for 54 percent of all U.S. sales; of those 28 million businesses, the 600,000 U.S. franchised small businesses account for 40 percent of all retail sales and provide jobs for some eight million people.

Dorroh noted that small businesses in LaSalle Parish account for a large percentage of the jobs in the parish, and adds millions of dollars to the local economy.

“We are proud of our small businesses and support them to the fullest,” Dorroh said. “Having both an emotional and financial stake in the community is what distinguishes small business with local owners from other businesses. And that’s what makes small businesses such an important thread in the fabric of our communities.”

“Entrepreneurship is at the heart of a successful small business,” he noted.

“The LaSalle Economic Development District supports small businesses and the important role they play in the well-being of our parish,” Dorroh said. “And we encourage shoppers to spend their money in the small businesses, which in turn supports activities in our community.”