DES MOINES, Iowa — Thursday marks two years since Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a public health disaster proclamation as COVID-19 started to spread. The order temporarily shut down a lot of small businesses, and now some say they need more assistance.
Walking into Abundance Junky at the Merle Hay Mall, visitors see small touches of owner Alishia Killingworth at every turn. Those intricate details were tough to put together in the middle of the pandemic
"I think we could all use some help, I wouldn't turn it down, I definitely would not turn it down," Killingworth said.
She started the boutique in 2020 and has been forced to navigate her business amid uncertainty.
Perlla Deluca knows that feeling too. She owns Southeast Constructors, which was an established business but the pandemic brought problems she's never had to deal with before
"We are still trying to come out of it like constructions is facing issues now with chain supply demand and material cost going up," Deluca said.
These struggles are what led a bi-partisan policy group to work to make sure small business owners are heard at the legislative level. Along with Goldman Sachs, they've come up with a four main areas of focus: workforce and labor, child care and two others, explained Jimmy Centers, principal at Cornerstone Public Affairs.
"Government procurement and contracting, which Perlla is an expert on as a constructor here in the Des Moines area, finally access to capitol which is critically important for small businesses being able to expand," Centers said.
He credits the state of Iowa, along with congress, for doing an exceptional job helping small businesses during the pandemic. However, he believes it's time for congress to reauthorize the Small Business Administration, something that hasn't been done since 2000
"If we just think about how much of our economy has changed in 22 years, I think we can all agree the time is now to reimagine and reinvigorate the agency, especially so small business owners like Perlla come out of this pandemic," Centers said.
Both Centers and Deluca agree these new challenges require new solutions. Their report is available online at the bipartisan policy center website.
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