NSBA Alabama Leadership Council Members Unite in Meeting
Huntsville, AL – On August 13, 2020, members of the National Small Business Association Leadership Council from Alabama participated in a virtual meeting via Zoom. The meeting was hosted by NSBA Board of Director member, Ken Rivenbark of Huntsville. Ken was assisted by staff from NSBA Headquarters in Washington D.C. including Patrick Post, VP 0f Membership & Marketing, and Meryl Tiemann, Director of Outreach.
As small business owners and members of the National Small Business Association’s (NSBA) Leadership Council, members have significant and grave concerns about how the pandemic and subsequent economic crisis has impacted small business as well as others in the community.
The meeting was the first of its kind in Alabama and united members by learning about each participant and their unique small business. The group reflected on the early stages of the pandemic and what businesses strategies each utilized during the early months. Members conversed on current challenges, successes and how their business mission will be guided in the future.
Rivenbark added, “Having the opportunity to meet our Leadership Council members and hear their stories firsthand was so uplifting for all. Our small business owners are not simply statistics, but real people”.
Supporting small business comes in many forms, including shopping local and spending with small businesses, supporting required changes to normal business operations, providing ongoing feedback on how best to meet the needs of customers, and much more.
In the last six months, small businesses, particularly those with store-front locations to serve their customers in person, have faced unimaginable hardships with very little clarity from our elected officials. They continue to be the most hard-hit economically by COVID-19 through mandated closures, massive declines in customer demand and complex employee challenges. As businesses re-open, we encourage the public to think about how smaller firms have been affected and make a conscious effort to support them through this difficult time.
Participants in the NSBA Leadership Council from Alabama included Dr. Ken Rivenbark, Rivenbark & Roper Antiques, Huntsville; Iris Frye, Parity Health Information and Technology, Huntsville; Darlene Poellnitz-Whinfield, Job Enhancement Training Services Company, Harvest; Talibah Bayles, TMB Fax & Financial Services, Birmingham; Zeke Hudson, Rowe Engineering & Surveying, Mobile; Mike Kozlik, Advantage Resources Inc. Birmingham; Evan Bates, EnPower Solutions, Vestavia Hills and Lee Deskin, D&D Transportation Logistics LLC, Gardendale.
Please contact the NSBA media department if you would like to speak to one of our Alabama Leadership Council members.
The Leadership Council of the NSBA is a group of small business leaders who are the grassroots advocates for the organization. Celebrating more than 80 years in operation, NSBA is a member-driven nonpartisan organization advocating on behalf of America’s entrepreneurs. Please visit www.nsba.biz.