Our President, Alberto Calvo, was interviewed by the Boston Globe about Small Business. The following article is from the Boston Globe Business section from November 4th, 2012:<\/p>\n
What does small business care about?<\/strong><\/p>\n Both presidential candidates have stressed the importance of supporting and encouraging small business to create jobs and move the US economy forward. Globe Sunday business editor Robert Gavin asked four small-business owners from four sectors \u2014 technology, health care, retail, and professional services \u2014 to discuss economic issues and their views of the presidential race as it enters its final days. Here is the edited conversation with Paul Bardaro, partner at Malden accounting firm Rucci, Bardaro & Barrett P.C.; Meredith Flynn-Ripley, chief executive of Media Friends Inc. of Cambridge; Gordon Thompson, chief executive of Westnet Inc. of Canton; and Alberto Calvo, chief executive of Stop and Compare Supermarkets.<\/p>\n Globe:<\/strong>\u00a0The big question in the election has been, \u201cAre you better off than you were four years ago?\u201d What have the past four years been like for small businesses?<\/p>\n Bardaro:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019ll start, as a CPA who sees many businesses. We\u2019ve grown just slightly ourselves. Our client base has struggled. We have some pockets of success stories, but it has been tough to maintain a bottom line, satisfy a bank. Growth capital has been very difficult to find.<\/p>\n Flynn-Ripley:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019ll counter a little bit of that, because in the high-tech space the last four years, at least in our sector, mobile app development, we\u2019re seeing huge growth. One of my biggest challenges is hiring people. But it\u2019s a booming mobile industry right now so we\u2019re cushioned from some of the larger economic issues facing non-high tech.<\/p>\n Globe:<\/strong>\u00a0Mr. Thompson, you\u2019re in the health care industry. Has it been a good time for that?<\/p>\n Thompson:<\/strong>\u00a0Well, it\u2019s a good time for us. To echo Meredith, we have experienced growth. But to also echo Paul, the irony has been that the finance community has still been reluctant in terms of working capital for small businesses.<\/p>\n Globe:<\/strong>\u00a0So credit conditions are still a problem?<\/p>\n Thompson:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n Bardaro:<\/strong>\u00a0I met with a group of bankers. They\u2019re willing to do things if the SBA [Small Business Administration] will come in. The question now is: Can we get through the bureaucracy of the SBA and have the bank come along and support it? It\u2019s just slowing things down.<\/p>\n Globe:<\/strong>\u00a0A big concern for business is uncertainty. Have you felt that as far as trying to move ahead, grow, hire?<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m in the retail business. We were just looking at sales data in the Providence store. In the first week of the month, because in Rhode Island food stamps come in first week, we sold $50,000. The second week, it went down to half of that, $25,000. So the economy is still puttering along.<\/p>\n Thompson:<\/strong>\u00a0Our industry is somewhat \u201cinelastic.\u201d The health care industry\u2019s going to continue.<\/p>\n Globe:<\/strong>\u00a0What about the health care overhaul? Is that injecting uncertainty into your business?<\/p>\n Thompson:<\/strong>\u00a0If you want to talk about Obamacare, and the values of it, what the mission is, it\u2019s consistent with the values of our company. We provide 100 percent health care from Day One. We\u2019ve always done it. We believe healthy employees are productive employees.<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0We\u2019re a small business. We did not offer health care because of costs. But because of the new law here in Massachusetts, we\u2019re offering 50 percent. I don\u2019t know about Obamacare. I haven\u2019t studied it well. But as a small business and a business with low margins, [health care] is becoming one of the top operating costs for us.<\/p>\n Bardaro:<\/strong>\u00a0With regard to health care, for 24 years we provided 100 percent for our employees, and we\u2019re now in our second [year] that we had to ask the employees to start kicking in. We had to increase the deductibles and the co-pays, and then ask them to pay 10 percent.<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0So you offer about 90 percent?<\/p>\n Bardaro:<\/strong>\u00a0About 90 percent reimbursement, which is generous, but we\u2019re in a field where large international firms are doing the same thing and we need to remain competitive.<\/p>\n Flynn-Ripley:<\/strong>\u00a0We\u2019ve actually benefited immensely from the state health program. In the last four years, we\u2019ve seen our health care costs go down.<\/p>\n Globe:<\/strong>\u00a0What\u2019s behind that? Competition?<\/p>\n Flynn-Ripley:<\/strong>\u00a0Competition has lowered prices. We have more choices and our employees are benefiting from it. So I\u2019m a big advocate of what the state program has put in place.<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0We belong to RAM, Retailer\u2019s Association of Massachusetts. Before they couldn\u2019t offer health care and now they can. They\u2019re going to offer lower rates because the state allows all the small businesses, retailers, to go under an umbrella under RAM.<\/p>\n Globe:<\/strong>\u00a0What other issues are out there?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bardaro:<\/strong>\u00a0Undoubtedly, the tax code. The uncertainty, not knowing how you will be taxed Jan. 1, is huge. It\u2019s just huge.<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0One thing I would like to throw on the table \u2014 and maybe you aren\u2019t as sensitive to this as I am \u2014 but the whole issue of immigration. I counted the other day and we\u2019re up to 14 nationalities in our employee base. What is the liability in terms of me hiring these immigrants? I mean, they come in and they show us a Social Security and an ID. So as a business owner, I\u2019m struggling. Should I hire this person or not?<\/p>\n Flynn-Ripley:<\/strong>\u00a0So what would you want? What\u2019s the solution in your mind?<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m an immigrant. I was born in Cuba. And I love this country. I came here in \u201964 with five bucks in my pocket. Did all my schooling here, went to MIT. Not in any other country would I have that kind of opportunity. And we have immigrants coming here illegally. They\u2019re establishing small businesses, restaurants, and all that. The government has to do something \u2014 I don\u2019t know, amnesty \u2014 for the people here.<\/p>\n Bardaro:<\/strong>\u00a0Grandfathering?<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0Grandfathering, provide some more certainty, education. Immigration is, for me, the top issue.<\/p>\n Thompson:<\/strong>\u00a0My biggest concern is the receptiveness of the financial community. The financial community has gotten so conservative, so reluctant, so adverse to risk. Given the bailout, I don\u2019t think there has been a reciprocation in terms of \u201cOK, let\u2019s support these small businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n Globe:<\/strong>\u00a0You\u2019re talking availability of credit and capital?<\/p>\n Thompson:<\/strong>\u00a0And access. We have a certain degree of stability in our revenue stream and there\u2019s still been a reluctance in banking.<\/p>\n Flynn-Ripley:<\/strong>\u00a0In the high-tech sector, the bar is higher for a start-up in terms of proving the business model. There are more proof points than a couple of years ago. We\u2019ve got real companies meeting real milestones and then they\u2019re getting rewarded by funding. That said, there is more funding happening in the San Francisco area and New York area than in Boston.<\/p>\n Globe:<\/strong>\u00a0Do you see different conditions, depending on who is elected?<\/p>\n Bardaro:<\/strong>\u00a0Gordon touched on \u201ctoo big to fail.\u201d That doesn\u2019t resonate with a small business \u2014 \u201cI was small and no one cared about me failing.\u201d That\u2019s a difficult pill to swallow and I would think that Romney is not for the \u201ctoo big to fail\u201d proposition.<\/p>\n Flynn-Ripley:<\/strong>\u00a0Our only involvement with the federal government is paying taxes. And I always wondered why there isn\u2019t more fostering of high tech. Because high tech is a high-growth area, with nicer margins than some of the businesses here.<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0Both candidates talk about small business as being the growth engine, so both of them are focused on at least talking about small business.<\/p>\n Thompson:<\/strong>\u00a0What I\u2019m more concerned about is the uncertainty of how, particularly Romney, defines the retraction of government. The reality is our government supports all of our businesses, whether you believe it or not. If you look at any of these major industries, they\u2019re all getting big federal dollars. And there\u2019s a trickle effect to us.<\/p>\n Flynn-Ripley:<\/strong>\u00a0Is high tech getting big federal dollars? I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n Thompson:<\/strong>\u00a0I don\u2019t know. But I know in the industries that I serve. United Technologies wouldn\u2019t be in business if it wasn\u2019t for the federal government. If you look at every major teaching institution here in terms of NIH [National Institutes of Health] dollars. Don\u2019t underestimate the support system that our federal government is to small businesses. We may not see it as we look directly, but it\u2019s touching us.<\/p>\n Globe:<\/strong>\u00a0What about the \u201cfiscal cliff?\u201d Are you concerned and is it affecting your business decisions now?<\/p>\n Bardaro:<\/strong>\u00a0I believe not. It goes back to the entrepreneurial spirit. Uncertainty is a terrible thing to live with, but you can\u2019t wait for someone to tell you that you need to get moving. As far as the trickle down, Gordon, I\u2019m in total agreement with you. The problem I have is when the federal government decides which specific businesses get the money. When they get in the business of deciding a separate and specific company to give it to, I think that\u2019s problematic.<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m concerned about the deficit. Look at Europe. I hired an intern, a Spaniard. You know what the unemployment rate in Spain for youth is? Fifty percent. That\u2019s just across the pond. Right now, I\u2019m very angry at our government because we\u2019re paying them to resolve problems, and they\u2019re not. It\u2019s not affecting us now, but it\u2019s something that is out there, the magnitude of which I don\u2019t know. It has to be resolved.<\/p>\n Flynn-Ripley:<\/strong>\u00a0As business owners, we\u2019re used to bringing disparate groups together, building teams, making things work, so there is frustration that there is no cooperation. There was a New York Times article recently. This writer believed that the country is more divided now than at the time of the Civil War, that there is no moderate position today. That concerns me.<\/p>\n Thompson:<\/strong>\u00a0I think there\u2019s been a specific agenda to disagree. There has been a systematic strategic plan, no matter what it is, we\u2019re not going to agree. To me, that\u2019s tragic.<\/p>\n Bardaro:<\/strong>\u00a0As business owners, we negotiate every day. Nothing can be more frustrating than seeing our Congress not negotiate with each other.<\/p>\n Globe:<\/strong>\u00a0What\u2019s the single most important thing the next president can do for small business?<\/p>\n Bardaro:<\/strong>\u00a0Single most important thing? I would say what Gordon just talked about. To ensure that we act unified in Congress.<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0I agree with that.<\/p>\n Bardaro:<\/strong>\u00a0Everything else will follow from there.<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0This is a unique system \u2014 checks and balances. And they work. But [now] it\u2019s too much, and there\u2019s gridlock. That is a big, big issue<\/p>\n Globe:<\/strong>\u00a0Last question, the hardest one .\u00a0.\u00a0.<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0Who are you going to vote for?<\/p>\n Bardaro:<\/strong>\u00a0Do we have to go on the record on that?<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0Well, I\u2019m going to be undecided. [He pulls out a checklist, with X\u2019s under the candidate he believes is strongest on these issues:] Economy, leadership, big government, immigration, health care, religion, defense, world affairs.<\/p>\n Globe:<\/strong>\u00a0Anybody?<\/p>\n Thompson:<\/strong>\u00a0As a small-business owner, as much as you have to have a tolerance for ambiguity, you gravitate to certainty. With Obama, I know what I\u2019m getting. I just don\u2019t have certainty with Romney. Do I think there are certain things that could have been done better with Obama? Absolutely. But at least there has been consistency. Romney was my governor, I ran a business. Let\u2019s just say, I didn\u2019t feel him. I feel Deval Patrick. I felt Jane Swift. I felt [Paul] Cellucci. I felt [William] Weld. I knew what I was getting. They were consistent and I knew how to adjust my business. I just have an uncertainty with Romney.<\/p>\n Flynn-Ripley:<\/strong>\u00a0After listening to both conventions, I wanted to vote for Clinton. Neither candidate is someone I\u2019m excited about entirely.<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0I agree with that.<\/p>\n Bardaro:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m a registered independent. I\u2019m not suggesting that Obama\u2019s done a terrible job, but I do know what\u2019s going to happen with the tax code with Obama. I have to change my vote to Romney as a result of the certainty [of] what I\u2019m going to get with Obama. It\u2019ll be Romney unless something drastically happens.<\/p>\n Calvo:<\/strong>\u00a0Let me throw my list here. So you can help me decide. Immigration \u2014 Obama. Economy, understanding of business \u2014 Romney. Big government, I\u2019m against it \u2014 Romney. Health care \u2014 equal. Religion \u2014 Romney. Defense \u2014 Obama. World affairs \u2014 Obama. .\u00a0.\u00a0. Tied.<\/p>\n More on the small business owners<\/strong><\/p>\n PAUL BARDARO \/ PARTNER<\/strong><\/p>\n Rucci, Bardaro & Barrett PC, Malden<\/p>\n Reason for buyng the company:<\/strong>\u00a0Instead of working with large publicly held companies, I wanted to work closely with small entrepreneurial firms.<\/p>\n Best business advice received:<\/strong>\u00a0Develop a work plan that provides what the goal is, how you\u2019re going to accomplish that goal, and what the deliverable is going to be.<\/p>\n Greatest challenge facing US small business:<\/strong>\u00a0Access to capital.<\/p>\n MEREDITH FLYNN-RIPLEY \/ CEO<\/strong><\/p>\n MediaFriends Inc., Cambridge<\/p>\n Reasons for starting the company:<\/strong>\u00a0We knew there were better ways to connect people around the world together. We built a messaging platform and launched a free texting app called HeyWire that provides people with a real US phone number that can text to any phone in the US, Canada, and China and most phones in 42 countries in a cost-effective way\u2014 free.<\/p>\n Best business advice received:<\/strong>\u00a0I could achieve anything I set my mind to with hard work and commitment. Persevere when entering new markets and business opportunities.<\/p>\n Greatest challenge facing the US small business:<\/strong>\u00a0Keeping up with global competition. The US is at the forefront of innovation today, but if we don\u2019t continue to foster and nurture tomorrow\u2019s entrepreneurs, we will start to fall behind in the global economy.<\/p>\n GORDON THOMPSON \/ CEO<\/strong><\/p>\n Westnet Inc., Canton<\/p>\n Reason for starting the company:<\/strong>\u00a0Desire to pursue an entrepreneurial venture before it would be too late in life.<\/p>\n Best business advice received:<\/strong>\u00a0Maintain endurance and tolerance for ambiguity.<\/p>\n Greatest challenge facing US small business:<\/strong>\u00a0Opportunities being lost to large businesses which have invested outside of USA.<\/p>\n ALBERTO CALVO \/ PRESIDENT<\/strong><\/p>\n Stop and Compare Supermarkets, Chelsea<\/p>\n Reason for starting the company:<\/strong>\u00a0To locate medium-size supermarkets in cities with a high concentration of Latino and other ethnic families. This immigrant population is currently underserved by the local bodegas, which offer limited product variety and high prices, and the big supermarkets, which do not understand the variety of Latino tastes and cultures.<\/p>\n Best business advice received:<\/strong>\u00a0Tighten our belt, watch closely our operating costs, continue to look for growth opportunities and act prudently in opening new stores.<\/p>\n Greatest challenge facing US small business:<\/strong>\u00a0Economic stagnation fueled by the increasing federal deficit, the uncertainty on future economic conditions, the inability of the federal government to get responsible legislation passed to deal with the deficit crisis and other national problems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Our President, Alberto Calvo, was interviewed by the Boston Globe about Small Business. The following article is from the Boston Globe Business section from November 4th, 2012: What does small business care about? Both presidential candidates have stressed the importance of supporting and encouraging small business to create jobs and move the US economy forward…. read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stopandcompare.net\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stopandcompare.net\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stopandcompare.net\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stopandcompare.net\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stopandcompare.net\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.stopandcompare.net\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stopandcompare.net\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stopandcompare.net\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stopandcompare.net\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}