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☆ Small businesses are hurting at the worst possible time
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

That’s because small businesses typically having tighter profit margins compared to behemoths like Walmart and Amazon, so they feel the sting of rising costs more acutely. The Small Business Index shows that 8 in 10 small retail businesses rely on holiday sales to meet their annual profit goals. If only it were that simple for small businesses. John Waldmann, chief executive of Homebase, a payroll software provider for more than 100,000 small businesses, said Enjou Chocolat’s dilemma is something he hears all the time. “Small businesses are really reticent to increase prices, so when they do, it’s because they have to,” Waldmann said.

Persons: Washington CNN — Enjou, Mark Chinsky, “, ‘ that’s, you’ve, ” Chinsky, that, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, we’re, ”, Thomas Barkin, “ Price, Joe Raedle, John Waldmann, Enjou, ” Waldmann, “ They’re, Scott Olson, there’s, Sarah Jordan, ” There’s, Bill Dunkelberg Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, National Federation of Independent Business, Walmart, ” Richmond Fed, Target, “, Board, Wrigley Field Locations: Morristown , New Jersey, America, Miami, Chicago

☆ Extreme heat takes toll on outdoor workers
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

There’s little to no escape from sweltering temperatures for construction workers like Eva Marroquin, who cleans work sites in Austin, Texas, and has worked in the industry for 17 years. Since 2010, she’s worked closely with the Workers Defense Project, an organization that advocates for protections for low-wage, immigrant workers in the Texas construction industry. Slowing down small businessesIt’s barely just now summer, and heatwaves are already slowing down small businesses, according to Homebase, which provides payroll software to more than 100,000 small businesses, covering 2 million hourly workers. “I think anything that impacts small businesses is affecting the economy as a whole,” he said, noting how small businesses account for half the jobs in the country. For herself, the high heat is more of an inconvenience; the car’s hotter and she just needs to pack some extra water.

Persons: Eva Marroquin, ” Marroquin, Christine Bolaños, she’s, Chris Lafakis, ”, Joshua, Gina Ferazzi, Gregory P, Casey, Jenny Schuetz, Brian Snyder, aren’t, “, John Waldmann, They’re, Katie Parent, Joseph Prezioso, Greer, Denise Greer Jamerson, Norman, Greer Jamerson, you’ve, ‘, “ It’s, it’s, Tamara Lovewell, café, panini, Tamara Lovewell “, Lovewell Organizations: CNN, Capitol, Workers Defense Project, Moody’s, Federal Reserve Bank of San, Williams College, Triple, Los Angeles Times, Environmental Protection Agency, Brookings Metro, Reuters, University of California, Stanford University, Getty, National Weather Service, Ruska Coffee Company Locations: Austin , Texas, Washington ,, Texas, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Massachusetts, Joshua Tree , California, Boston, Greater Boston, AFP, Princeton , Indiana, , Maine, United States, Caribou .

☆ Take Down the Dams on Maine’s Kennebec River - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( John Waldman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In his 1937 book, “Kennebec: Cradle of Americans,” the poet Robert Tristram Coffin called Maine’s sprawling river a “paradise for fish.” But pollution and dams that block spawning runs for Atlantic salmon, sturgeon and shad put an end to that world. The Kennebec River now runs mostly clean, thanks to laws that reduced pollution. The commission should order the removal of the dams. Dams are being removed from rivers across the country. Last year, 80 were demolished, reconnecting obstructed waterways with 1,160 upstream river miles.

Persons: Robert Tristram Coffin, Brookfield Organizations: Federal Energy Regulatory, Brookfield Renewable Locations: “ Kennebec, Kennebec, Sandy, Gulf of Maine

☆ Extreme heat cuts into US small business, worker hours in July, report shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Safiyah Riddle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Carlos BarriaAug 1 (Reuters) - Record-breaking heat waves across the U.S. forced small businesses to close early in July, according to a report released on Tuesday, and reduced paid working hours for employees as dangerous temperatures reshape consumer behavior. Hundreds of millions Americans dealt with extreme heat advisories in the past two weeks, as temperatures across the South and Southwest hit historic highs. These hazardous conditions have kept consumers inside and forced small businesses to close early - cutting into paid hours for employees - according to a report by the small business payroll company Homebase. Nationally, small business employees worked 0.9% fewer hours in the first two weeks of July compared with the last two weeks of June - a standard seasonal change that is typical of summer months - the report said. Small business employees in New Orleans and Memphis, for example, were on the clock 5.7% and 5.1% less, respectively, than they were in June as business owners shorten hours to adjust for fewer customers and try to protect employees from too much heat exposure.

Persons: Carlos Barria, slowdowns, John Waldmann, Danah Lee, Lee, I've, Travis Parsons, Parsons, It's, Safiyah Riddle, Dan Burns Organizations: REUTERS, Southwest, Homebase, Memphis, Boston, Taco Joint, Weather Service, International Union of, Thomson Locations: Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S, New Orleans, Memphis, International Union of North America, Canada

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