The Center for Public Policy Innovation
Hosts Second in a Series of Public Policy Forums on Restoring U.S. Competitiveness

Members of Congress and Panelists See Small Business Growth and Innovation as Vital to Nation's Economic Recovery

The Center for Public Policy Innovation (CPPI), a nonprofit educational think tank, today hosted a Small Business Public Policy Forum entitled "Restoring U.S. Competitiveness: Creating Jobs and Unleashing the Potential of Small Businesses Through Technology and Innovation" on Capitol Hill.

During the event, which was co-sponsored by the Digital Dialogue Forum (DDF) with support from Dell, Qualcomm, Intuit, Neustar, and VeriSign, leading stakeholders from industry, academia, and government spoke about the challenges facing start-ups and small businesses today. An audience comprised of senior congressional staff, Administration officials, industry leaders, and the media submitted dozens of questions through text messages and Tweets, resulting in a lively, interactive discussion.

Sen. Mary Landrieu, Dell's Steve Felice, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and the Kauffman Foundation's Jonathan Ortmans Spoke About the Importance of Small Businesses to the U.S. Economy.

Steve Felice, who serves as President, Global Consumer, Small and Medium Business, at Dell Inc., moderated a panel discussion during the event. "Job creation has rightfully dominated most conversations of late," Felice said. "In collaboration with CPPI, we are pleased to foster a dialogue around the precursor to job creation and what I find to be top of mind for the CEOs I meet with - access to capital and the growth it helps fuel."

The panel discussion featured Scott Case, CEO of the Startup America partnership and founding CTO of Priceline.com; Sean Greene, Associate Administrator for Investment and Special Advisor for Innovation, U.S. Small Business Administration; and Jonathan Ortmans, President, Global Entrepreneurship Week & Senior Fellow, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Sen. Mary Landrieu, Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee

Delivering keynote remarks were U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, Chair of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee; and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference.

"Just recently, the Senate unanimously voted in favor of one of the most coveted public-private partnerships for small business innovation in America. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs allow small businesses to compete for a portion of federal research dollars to help the nation's research and development efforts," Senator Landrieu said. "To continue to thrive as a nation, we must keep these programs alive and look for other ways to spark the creative small business minds that keep our nation on the forefront of defense technology and scientific innovation."

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Vice Chair of the House Republican Caucus

Said Rep. McMorris Rogers, "According to statistics, small businesses create 70 percent of the jobs in America, and technological innovation is responsible for 85 percent of our growth in per capita income. Put the two together, and you can see why unleashing the power of small business through technological innovation is the one of the most effective things we can do to bolster our economy, create jobs, improve our competitiveness, and keep the American Dream alive for the next generation."

In his opening remarks, CPPI President Chris Long said, "By holding today's event and others in our ongoing series of forums, CPPI is shaping the public debate on policies and programs that are needed to make a measurable impact on American global competitiveness."

Moderator Steve Felice led the panel in a discussion on a range of topics including strategies for spurring global economic growth among small businesses

Moderator Steve Felice led the panel in a discussion on a range of topics including strategies for spurring global economic growth among small businesses

The panel discussion focused on small businesses' impact on American innovation and job creation, and the many policy and regulatory challenges faced by small businesses. Other topics that were discussed include the lack of access to capital, the role of international trade in spurring U.S. small business growth, the impact of cloud computing and mobile platforms on small businesses, encouraging small businesses to embrace cyber security and other new technologies, and the federal government's role in supporting small businesses.

Today's forum is the second in a series of events that CPPI and DDF will hold over the course of the year. The series will foster collaboration between government and industry to shape the public debate on the proper role of industry and government in promoting innovation, and seek consensus to address these challenges.