Small businesses are 98% the US retail sector, and more Americans work in retail than in manufacturing or mining. In 2017 Pacific Community Ventures was chosen as one of 15 fellows by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and awarded a grant through the Aspen Institute’s Re-Imagine Retail initiative to develop, pilot, and publish Good Jobs, Good Business: a practical toolkit to help small business owners create jobs that boost the bottom line.
Small businesses have an important role to play in advancing quality jobs. There are approximately 5.6 million small business owners in the US who collectively employ 32.5 million workers. The quality of jobs small businesses provide affects the lives of workers in all corners of the country. We’re committed to enabling them to succeed – and believe a simple, practical quality jobs toolkit will help spur them to action. Over the next two years we’re working with the Workforce Strategies Initiative at the Aspen Institute to develop, pilot, and publish a quality jobs toolkit focused on retail small businesses.