CA

Lorenzo Harris, CEO of Janico Building Services

Lorenzo Harris makes a living sweeping away the dirt. But he certainly is not swept away by the state of our nation’s current immigration system.

As the CEO and principal of Janico Building Services, a full-service building maintenance and cleaning contractor with 40 employees in Sacramento, Harris understands first-hand how undocumented immigrants affect the cleaning industry, particularly when it comes to the hiring process.

From humble beginnings to an out of this world small business, Jay-Mee Del Rosario clawed her way to the American Dream. As the CEO of International Metal Source, a minority and women owned small business that distributes raw metals to the space, aerospace and defense industries, Del Rosario’s launch to the top was one of extreme hardship. 

Born in the Philippines, she immigrated to the United States when she was just 9 years old. Due to her immigration status, she faced obstacles in obtaining jobs and a higher education.

Small Business Majority held a photo contest to find the most creative small businesses around for National Small Business Week. Each day, we’ll be highlighting one of the winners in a profile on our blog. Today’s winner is Desert Star Systems.

Lorenzo Harris makes a living sweeping away the dirt. But he certainly wasn’t swept away by the political rhetoric surrounding the Affordable Care Act. In fact, Harris ended up saving a sizable chunk of money and qualifying for a tax credit after enrolling in Covered California’s SHOP marketplace.

States across the country are working to develop Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) exchanges—online marketplaces where small businesses can purchase health insurance. An opinion survey released today provides important new insights into what small businesses in California are looking for from the state exchanges being created under the Affordable Care Act. Topping the list are allowing employees to choose among multiple insurance carriers and more disease prevention and wellness programs. The survey also found interest in the SHOP exchange is high, and awareness among owners of small business tax credits is low.

With the Supreme Court set to announce the fate of the healthcare reform law this month, the news today that 4,400 California small firms with 36,000 employees will get $3.5 million back from one of the nation’s biggest insurers—all thanks to the law—is strong evidence that its provisions are working for small employers. These rebates emphasize how important it is that high court justices uphold the Affordable Care Act so small businesses across the country can continue reaping its benefits.

More than 2.4 million California workers are employed by the more than 375,000 small businesses in the state eligible for $1.8 billion in tax credits in the federal healthcare reform, according to a new report released today. The tax credit helps small businesses pay for health coverage for their employees. A major obstacle to coverage, the report notes, is that many small business owners are unaware of these tax credits because of the noisy—and often misleading—debate over healthcare reform.