Ever-increasing inflation impacting local small business owners

Small businesses get a chance to tell lawmakers the problems they are facing due to what feels like ever-increasing inflation.

The dialogue happened during an economic roundtable sponsored by the state treasurer and the Montgomery county treasurer.

News Center 7′s Mike Campbell spoke with a local business owner about the challenges he’s facing and what the government might do to help.

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The state treasurer came to Montgomery County to talk with businesses concerned about inflation and the economy.

One thing he heard from them is they need government on all levels to stay out of their way.

Business owners around the table spoke with Montgomery County Treasurer John McManus and State Treasurer Robert Sprague.

They all spoke about continuing struggle with supply chain issues and now rising costs everywhere due to inflation.

“We’re trying to absorb as much of those costs as we can and not pass it on to our end user, customers,” said David Seger, who runs Winston Heat Treating next to downtown Dayton.

The business heats treat tools for all types of businesses to make them tools stronger for manufacturing, automobile, aerospace and defense industries.

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Seger is struggling to keep any profits from going up in flames, such as the ones in the furnaces he uses to protect the tools he treats.

The costs of his gas, electric, vendors, and transportation are all increasing. His workers also feel the inflation pinch.

“Wanting to make sure, hopefully the pressures they’re facing will drop.,” Seger said.

Winston Heat Treating is just one company helping a resurgence in Ohio manufacturing.

The state treasurer told News Center 7 that on his listening tour, inflation is on everyone’s minds.

He said the answer to how government can help is pretty consistent from most small businesses.

“Their pleas to us was, no more government regulation, try to reduce the regulation, we don’t need that overhead cost in addition to all the increasing costs,” State Treasurer Sprague said.

The people at Winston Heat Treating, like many other businesses, are trying to avoid passing the increasing costs of inflation on to their customers.

That is becoming increasingly difficult to do and why they believe action needs to be taken.