Readout of White House Briefing with Southwest Business Leaders

On Thursday, July 25, the White House welcomed small business owners and leaders of local business organizations from Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah for a discussion with senior officials on the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions to grow the economy from the middle out and bottom up. More than 40 individuals representing small businesses, local chambers of commerce, and economic and community development organizations met with senior officials from the White House, Treasury Department, and Small Business Administration to discuss how the Administration is investing in local communities, expanding access to capital, and helping small businesses in the region adapt to climate change through incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Under President Biden and Vice President Harris, more than 1.2 million jobs have been created and more than $161 billion has been invested by the private sector in the states represented in Thursday’s meeting. The Administration’s efforts to support entrepreneurs and communities have powered a small business boom, with more than 18 million new business applications filed since the President and Vice President took office, including more than 1.3 million in these five states alone.

Thursday’s meeting was the third in a series of White House Regional Business Briefings, following a convening of Mid-Atlantic business leaders in March and an convening of Midwest business leaders in May. Additional meetings are planned for this fall.

Administration participants included:

• Isabel Casillas Guzman, Administrator of the Small Business Administration
• Wally Adeyemo, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
• John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy
• Jackson Spivey, Senior Advisor for the White House Office of Public Engagement

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