I recently had the honor of co-moderating a discussion with Karen Gordon Mills, former administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), at a Ringling College Library Association Town Hall event. As a chamber of commerce CEO, it was particularly rewarding for me to spend time with Ms. Mills and learn more about her time leading the SBA and serving as a champion for small businesses across the country. She talked about access to capital, shifting policies, training resources, and other factors that can help or hinder a small business’s ability to start, adapt, and grow.

Mills was keenly interested in learning about the business profile and environment in our region. I shared with her that our chamber regularly engages with more than 2,000 businesses that employ 72,000 people – and that just over 40% of our members employ five or fewer. Small businesses are both the heart and the foundation of our local economy.

According to the SBA, small businesses create 2 out of 3 new jobs and have generated almost 13 million net new jobs in the past 25 years. WalletHub recently published a ranking of the best (and worst) cities to start a business and our region had several areas on the top 20 “best” list, including Bradenton, Sarasota, and Fort Myers. We have many factors working in our favor to support business growth and diversification.

However, the challenges small enterprises and entrepreneurs face can be unique. Even the overarching strain that our current workforce shortage presents to all employers is more difficult for businesses. They have a smaller team with which to deal with the increased workload and a smaller operation through which to adapt to escalating labor and supply costs.

But, there are things we all can do to support local businesses. Please be patient in light of the persistent workforce and supply chain challenges and always remember to “think local and shop local.” It is likely easier than you think to find a local source for the products and services you need and the Manatee Chamber stands ready to help connect you to local businesses.

Last week, communities across the U.S. celebrated “Small Business Week.” The Manatee Chamber launched a social media campaign to highlight its importance and announced a call for nominations for the 42nd annual Manatee Small Business of the Year Awards.

We encourage you to use our online nomination form at ManateeChamber.com/smallbiznomination to tell us about a local small business or nonprofit that deserves recognition.

We hope that you will join us in celebrating outstanding enterprises and organizations that exemplify the diversity, spirit, and community-mindedness that make our community so special. The deadline for nominations to be received is May 31. I challenge our community to make this a record-setting year for nominations!

Jacki Dezelski is president and CEO of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce and has been with the organization since 1996. She was the 2015 Florida Chamber Professional of the Year and has served on the board of several local nonprofits. She has a bachelor's degree in fine arts and a master's in business administration from the University of Florida and is a Manatee High School graduate. Contact her at JackiD@ManateeChamber.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: JACKI DEZELSKI: Small businesses are foundation of Suncoast economy