LETTERS: A SALUTE TO SMALL BUSINESS

To the editor:

The first week of June is a time to celebrate American heroes. I'm not speaking of the once-in-a-lifetime giants like Ronald Reagan, Neil Armstrong or Babe Ruth. I'm referring to the everyday heroes. The ones who amaze us with their selflessness and surprise as with their understated strength and commitment.

These heroes are your friends and neighbors -- and perhaps you. They are small-business owners, and June 1-7 is Small Business Week, their time to take a bow.

Don't be fooled by their individual size. These entrepreneurs truly are heroes. Consider the following facts:

-- If they were their own country, small businesses would rank as the world's third-largest economic power. They account for $2 trillion in gross product annually, behind only the United States as a whole and Japan.

-- Small businesses are the cradles of innovation, Small firms generate 2.4 times more innovations per employee compared to large companies.

-- Half of small-business owners still work 60-plus hours a week after three years of operation, and they're more likely than big-business counterparts to give unskilled workers their first job.

-- Small firms provide nearly 60 percent of all private-sector jobs in America.

-- While small-business owners lack the resources to sponsor PBS programs, college bowl games or other high-profile events, they work to maintain and improve the quality of life in their community by sponsoring Little Leagues; organizing parades and fireworks for the Fourth of July; raising money for school band uniforms and athletic equipment; underwriting school plays, newspapers and yearbooks; donating prizes for church, school and other charitable fund raisers; and providing food, drink, materials and manpower for volunteer projects.

To recognize the efforts of the millions of small-business owners, the largest small-business organization in the United States, the National Federation of Independent Business, has developed the "Small Business Works for America" public awareness campaign. Watch for this slogan on the windows, stationery and advertising of local businesses. The logo is there to tell you that this is a small business that hires local workers and supports local schools, athletic teams and the arts. They are your community, and they deserve your respect.

RUSS A. MOTHERSHEAD, NFIB member

Midwest Agri-Chemico Inc.

Cape Girardeau