Skip Paal, AAF, of Rutland Beard Floral Group, testified on small business issues last week to Congress. This week, a press release from the House committee that detailed the hearing prominently featured excerpts from Paal’s prepared statement.
When Skip Paal, AAF, of Rutland Beard Floral Group, headquartered in Cantonsville, Maryland, testified to Congress last week, he made such a big impression that The Hill, an influential Beltway publication, immediately shared his story.
In fact, Paal’s testimony proved so powerful, the House Small Business Committee highlighted his words before any other business owners in its post-hearing press release.
When speaking to the committee last week, Paal, a fourth-generation florist and a member of the Society of American Florists’ board of directors, outlined the challenges his business faces, including the rising cost of health care and the difficulty of uncertain and unclear regulations, including those related to overtime laws and tax reform.
After the hearing, Paal said he enjoyed the experience and was pleasantly surprised by the bipartisanship in the room. Committee members, he said, seemed focused on “progressing small business, not their parties.”
“From the questions I got,” he said. “I could tell they were very concerned with small-business issues, regardless of their party. It was refreshing.”
