Small Business: The Key to Economic Recovery

Whether your focus is the Midwest, the U.S. or the world, small businesses everywhere are the key to economic recovery and prosperity. It’s not hard to understand why, when you consider the enormous role small companies play in innovation, job creation and overall employment. For example, small firms in the U.S.¹:

• Represent 99.7% of all employer firms and pay 45%   of total U.S. private payroll
• Generated 60% to 80% of net new jobs annually   over the last decade
• Produce 13 to 14 times more patents per employee   than large patenting firms
• Employ 41% of all high-tech workers
• Generate more than half of private non-farm GDP

With all these vital contributions, you would think that governments and legislators at all levels would make the health and growth of small businesses a top priority; however, that is not always the case. The Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) is one organization that exists to advocate for the interests of small businesses at the state level.

SBAM Supports Small Business Growth and Innovation

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Mike Fox, president and CEO of Ingenuity IEQ, encourages all small business owners to take an active role in SBAM, OSBA (Ohio Small Business Association) or similar organizations that support the growth and health of small businesses.

“In most cases, our state legislators understand the important role that small businesses play in economic growth and diversification,” Fox said. “But when it comes to taking legislative action to give small businesses the resources we need to create new high-tech, high-wage jobs, they don’t always act on our behalf.

“But as the world around us is changing, SBAM and similar organizations are also changing, evolving into high profile communities of business owners and leaders who can speak with a unified voice and influence legislation that benefits our members. “Instead of just ‘hunting’ to bring big new businesses into our states, we should also be actively practicing ‘economic gardening,’ to help the small businesses who are already here grow and innovate,” Fox said. “It’s faster, less expensive and builds on the existing partnerships and synergy that have made our small business communities successful.”

Three Michigan Firms Recognized for Economic Impact

Each one is an entrepreneurial, high-technology company, providing products and services that protect people and the environment. Each one has been selected as one of “Michigan’s Top 50 Companies to Watch².” Together, they create a supply chain that delivers indoor environmental technologies to fight microbial contamination and conserve water and energy in a wide range of facilities.

Aegis Environments, Midland, Michigan

Selected as a Michigan “Company to Watch” in 2006, Aegis Environments markets Aegis® microbe shield technology, recognized worldwide as the best performing anti-microbial available for fabrics, surfaces and other applications, based on over 30 years’ use in consumer and medical goods. Aegis microbe shield technology, originally developed and currently manufactured by Dow Corning Corporation, provides non-depleting, non-leaching protection against bacteria, fungi and algae for as long as the surface remains intact. Aegis licenses this technology to specialized companies, such as the Coatings Specialist Group LLC, for application to fabrics and surfaces.

Coatings Specialist Group LLC, Rochester Hills, Michigan

Coatings Specialist Group, or CSG, is a leader in sustainable, environmentally sound surface treatments for “surfaces that touch lives.” CSG has been recognized as one of Michigan’s 2009 Top 50 Companies to Watch, based on their rapid growth from a small commercial coatings company to a global player in surface protection. CSG markets and applies the Aegis microbe control surface treatments under three names: turfaide™, for synthetic turf applications; surfaceaide™, which can be used on virtually any indoor surface, including furniture, equipment, floors, walls, ceilings, bathrooms and mats; and fabricaide™, which continually inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold and fungi on any fabric or textile.

Ingenuity IEQ, Midland, Michigan

Also selected as a recipient of the 2009 Michigan’s Top 50 Companies to Watch award, Ingenuity IEQ maintains ongoing relationships with both Aegis Environments and CSG, to provide surface and fabric treatments as a part of its complete portfolio of indoor environmental quality solutions. The Ingenuity IEQ portfolio includes engineered systems, expertise and unique technology for air flow, air quality, surfaces and measurement that can be combined to make buildings cleaner, greener, healthier and more energy-efficient.

“To be named as one of the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch is truly an honor,” Mike Fox said, “and we feel doubly honored to join the ranks of the previous recipients, 250 in all, including our colleagues at Aegis and CSG. We’re thrilled to be part of the fifth class to be recognized for the role we play in the future of Michigan’s economy. It’s through the collaboration and innovation of companies like ours that Michigan and other states will get through the current crisis and emerge as leaders in the new economy.”

Energy-Saving Technologies Support a Sustainable Economy

Ingenuity IEQ’s unique combination of technologies, experience and engineering expertise can help facility owners create cleaner, greener, healthier and more energy-efficient buildings with a superior ROI. With a client list that includes universities, healthcare, government and military facilities, the chemical industry, and pharmaceutical companies, Ingenuity IEQ serves its customers with offices in Midland, Ann Arbor, Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. The company’s commitment to “Indoor Environmental Quality for Life” includes improving the quality of life for building users, enabling the sustainable life of our planet, building lifelong relationships with clients and innovation partners – and contributing to the lifeblood our economy.

To find out more, visit us at www.ingenuityieq.com or call us at 1-800-669-9726.

¹Information courtesy of the Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy. Sources: U.S. Bureau of the Census; Advocacy-funded research by Joel Popkin and Company (Research Summary #211); Federal Procurement Data System; Advocacy-funded research by CHI Research, Inc. (Research Summary #225); Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey; U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration.

² Michigan Celebrates Small Business is presented in association with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center, Small Business Association of Michigan, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Edward Lowe Foundation. The program celebrates its fifth year in 2009.Information about the 2009 Michigan 50 Companies toWatch program can be found at http://Michigan.CompaniesToWatch.org. For information about Michigan Celebrates Small Business, visit http://MichiganCelebrates.biz