Readout of White House Briefing with Midwest Business Leaders

On Friday, May 31, the White House welcomed small business owners and local business leaders from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin for a dialogue with senior officials on the Biden-Harris Administration's priorities to grow the U.S. economy, especially in communities that have too often been left behind, by supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners. More than 60 individuals representing small businesses, local chambers of commerce, and economic development organizations met with senior officials from the White House, Council of Economic Advisers, and Small Business Administration to discuss how the Administration is investing in local businesses and communities in the region to grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up. Under President Biden and Vice President Harris, more than 1.5 million jobs have been created and more than $65 billion has been invested by the private sector in the states represented in Friday's meeting. Additionally, the Administration has powered a small business boom, with the first, second and third strongest years of new business applications on record—including over 1.8 million applications for new businesses in these five states alone, which have all seen record business applications under this Administration.

Friday's meeting was the second in a series of White House Regional Business Briefings, following an initial gathering of Mid-Atlantic business leaders in March. Additional meetings are planned for later this summer.

Administration participants included:

• Isabel Casillas Guzman, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration
• Gene Sperling, White House American Rescue Plan Coordinator and Senior Advisor to the President
• Heather Boushey, Member, Council of Economic Advisers
• Kate Balcerzak, Special Assistant to the President and Director of Partnerships and Private Sector Engagement, White House Office of Public Engagement
• Jackson Spivey, Senior Advisor, White House Office of Public Engagement