Small businesses are the heart of our communities, providing employment and driving innovation at the national, state, and local levels. In South Dakota, 88,000 small businesses make up 99% of businesses in the state, employing nearly 210,000 people, more than 58% of our workforce. These businesses make large and small impacts in our communities and beyond.

Running a small business certainly comes with challenges. Many business owners are facing regulatory burdens, unfilled job openings, inflation, and limited access to capital. Because of their investment and impact on our communities, we look for opportunities to support small businesses—not just for their benefit, but for the benefit of our friends and family who work there.

As Chairman of the Republican Main Street Caucus, I lead a group of 70 conservatives in Congress that are committed to implementing pro-growth policies for small businesses and fostering economic and individual prosperity. We strive to preserve main streets across America. Inflation and unfilled job openings continue to pressure small businesses, so it’s important to support these businesses however we can. Some ways we can do that are shopping local, eating at a local restaurant, passing policies to support main street, stopping unnecessary federal spending, and reducing overly burdensome regulations.

This Small Business Week, I got to stop by several community favorites in Mitchell like Bonnie’s deKor, Craig Ryans, Einstein’s Vintage Clothing, and some of my favorite restaurants. It’s the people who work at these small businesses that make them so special. Whether it’s your favorite local coffee shop, hardware store, auto repair shop, restaurant, or clothing store, the owners likely know you by name and have built a relationship with you. Supporting small businesses keeps our communities thriving and unique. I’m grateful for the ways South Dakota’s small businesses support our needs. Our local communities would be vastly different without them.