Senator Daphne Jordan Joined by Senate, Assembly, & Small Business Reps to Tour Lumber Facility

CASTLETON-ON-HUDSON, NY – Senator Daphne Jordan today joined Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, Assemblyman Jake Ashby and representatives of the National Federation of Independent Business New York Chapter (NFIB New York) for a tour of a local Curtis Lumber location in Rensselaer County. The tour of the lumber facility gave elected officials the opportunity to hear firsthand about the challenges facing our small businesses in the wake of the pandemic and related economic downturn.

“Curtis Lumber is a small business staple in our region and state. At a time when supply chain issues and inflation threaten everyday consumers, Curtis Lumber has proven time and again that they have the backs of our contractors, communities, and everyday New Yorkers. Now we must have their backs, and have the backs of all small businesses growing and thriving in our state. I thank Curtis Lumber and NFIB New York for allowing my colleagues and I to tour this great facility and show us all what it means to be an exemplary small business,” said Senator Jordan. 

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. I would like to thank Curtis Lumber, NFIB-NY, and Senator Jordan for organizing today’s tour, and reminding us of our obligation to provide an environment in which small businesses can grow and thrive. New York-based manufacturing, production, supply, and distribution are what drives our state forward,” said Minority Leader Ortt.

“Small businesses employ half of New York’s workforce, generate nearly half of the state’s GDP, fund state and local tax bases, and are the cornerstones of strong and energetic communities and neighborhoods. Our villages, towns, and cities are better when there are independent, family-owned businesses like Curtis Lumber contributing to a thriving small business economy. At NFIB’s annual Small Business Day we are urgently asking New York’s elected leaders to provide essential tax and mandate relief to small businesses grappling with the economic losses of the last two years, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, rampant inflation, and unaffordable UI tax bills. NFIB thanks Senator Jordan, Leader Ortt, and Assemblymember Jake Ashby for their steadfast advocacy for significant tax relief and bettering New York’s business climate for our Main Street businesses,” said Ashley Ranslow, NFIB’s New York State Director.

“As an independent, family-owned business, we are facing significant challenges and the cost of doing business continues to escalate. Disruptions in the supply chain, widespread inflation, rising gas prices, labor shortages, and excessive Unemployment Insurance tax bills are unmanageable with no end in sight. Curtis Lumber was happy to meet with Leader Ortt and his colleagues to discuss our concerns and the need for tax relief measures to help businesses rebound,” said Rich Keating, V.P. Sales and Marketing, Curtis Lumber.

During today’s tour, Senator Jordan and the elected leaders heard about a variety of state proposals, policies, and concerns, including:

• Small business tax cuts;
• Unemployment insurance;
• All-electric construction; and
• COVID-era regulations.
   

Curtis Lumber is a family owned company with 23 full-service home improvement stores in New York and Vermont. In 2020, they celebrated 130 years in business.

NFIB-NY is the voice of small business, advocating on behalf of New York’s small and independent business owners. They are nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven. Since the national organization’s founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses. This Thursday, NFIB-NY is hosting their annual “Small Business Advocacy Day,” where many of the state’s leading business organizations will gather virtually to help educate policymakers on the issues most important to their businesses.

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