Five Craft Breweries Receive “Small Business of the Year” Award
Five California craft breweries were recognized by state Assembly and Senate districts during an awards ceremony at the State Capitol yesterday.
Alongside 80 other small businesses from across California, American River Brewing Company, Petaluma Hills Brewing Company, Prohibition Brewing Company, Three Weavers Brewing Company and Hangar 24 were designated as a “Small Business of the Year” during the ceremony at California Small Business Day.
“With millions of small businesses in operation across the state, it is absolutely amazing to see five craft breweries recognized for their contributions to the economic engine in California,” said Tom McCormick, executive director of the California Craft Brewers Association. “This is another powerful reminder of how popular and important the craft brewing industry has become to our state.”
During the awards ceremony, more than 20 California governmental agencies, 25 small business organizations and 90 California State Legislators came together to recognize the small business community. Small businesses in the state serve as the economic engine of California, contributing 75 percent of California’s Gross State Product and over half of the state’s private sector jobs. Craft brewers in the state have created over 44,000 jobs and contributed $6.5 billion to the state’s economy.
California Small Business Day is a special day for small business owners to connect with government agencies, elected officials and businesses that can help them succeed and grow. In addition to a morning exhibition where small businesses learn about new and existing state and private sector programs, California Small Business Day 2016 included speeches from California State Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Leon, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, Assembly Minority Leader Chad Mayes, Senate Minority Leader Jean Fuller, and Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones on the importance of small business.
California Small Business Day was created by House Resolution 57 in 2000. Volunteer small business organizations throughout the state come together to host the event in Sacramento each year.
