Congressman Tim Ryan met with the group of Black business owners at the 1Eleven Flavor House in Dayton on Thursday. They came from a variety of fields: business incubators, car repair, and massage therapy, just to name a few.
They talked about the difficulties facing small Black business owners as well as what Ryan can do to help them. This included issues like financing, getting proper documentation and permits without getting caught up in bureaucracy.
Ryan said these events are important to connect business owners together. He said that these individuals are the future for the economy.
"We've got to realize that the next version of the American economy needs to include small business, and those opportunities need to be made available to everybody, Ryan said.
He also said a lot of times, these opportunities are not provided to everyone.
"It's also making sure they're connected to me," Ryan stated. "So if they run into a problem, you know, I gave all my cell phone number, you can call me and I can, you know, try to make a call for you to try to loosen something up."
Ryan says he hopes he can help them continue to do great things for the community. He said that’s why he met with these business owners and offered his help and connections.
