2026-10-14 - Committee on Commerce & Economic Development

01:57Welcome to Philadelphia City Council's Committee on Commerce and Economic Development. I now

02:07know that the hour has come. I want to note for the record that we have appointed Councilmember

02:13Council President as appointed Councilmember Ahmed to the Committee on Commerce and Economic

02:17Development. I note for the record that a quorum is the Committee is present to my left Councilmember

02:23Driscoll, to my right Councilmember Ahmed, Ahmed to my right Councilmember Godier. This is a public

02:30hearing on the Committee of Commerce and Economic Development considering testimonial resolutions

02:34number 260552. Mr. Sham, would you please read the title of the resolution? Resolution number 260552,

02:44authorizing the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to hold public hearings

02:48on the process of starting a micro-business or pop-up shop in Philadelphia and on how the city

02:53can streamline that process so more micro-businesses grow into small businesses. Thank you. Before we

03:01call up the first panel to testify, I would like to recognize Councilmember Ahmed for opening remarks.

03:05Thank you Chairman Squela and thank you to the Committee for holding this important hearing

03:11and for appointing me to this Committee. I want to start with the story of a push cart. In 2013,

03:18a young man in West Philadelphia set up a batch machine in his parents' basement and pushed a

03:24cart of water ice around the neighborhood every summer. That cart became a kiosk in ShopRite.

03:31Today, Dre's water ice has 13 employees. Andre Andrews is here, I believe, this afternoon. So

03:41are Molly and Michelle from the ground who started with the sidewalk table selling plants

03:46and now have two shops and 30 people on payroll. The question for today is why their stories are

03:54still hard to repeat. Every small business in the city starts somewhere. A folding table,

04:01a booth at a holiday market, a cart on a corner. For a lot of Philadelphians, that is the only way

04:07in. Here is what the person runs into. Three city systems that do not talk to each other,

04:14LNI for the license, health for food, revenue for taxes. Then the market adds its own application

04:22fee and booth fee. A sidewalk sales license is $330. A food vendor without a storefront

04:29pays another $179. Sell food at events and you file a permit for every event and pay every time.

04:36This year, for the first time, every vendor at the Southeast Asian market in FDR Park finished

04:42the full health department process. It took four or five separate applications more than three

04:49months and close to $1,500 per vendor before anyone could sell a plate of food. And this

04:56is a market that I've been following who had started off in the FDR Park where they were

05:02shooed away from by police every time they tried to set up. These are refugees from Cambodia and

05:09other parts of Southeast Asia who were trying to make a living because it's so hard to break in

05:13anywhere else. And yet we were inhospitable in how we treated them. But progress has happened.

05:22Every one of those rules has a reason. Nobody here wants unsafe food, but sacked together,

05:28they put the cost of trying on the people, least able to carry it. And when somebody quits at a

05:37step four, we never hear about it. There's no form for giving up. I'm someone who intimately

05:45understands the small business arena because I'm part of one. And I know how much risk you take

05:51because nobody's watching what you're investing. Nobody's holding your hand when things are going

05:58wrong. You have to do payroll. If you have anybody to be on payroll, you have to pay for

06:04your premises. Your life goes on as you're investing in this business. And in Philadelphia,

06:12which is the second poorest city in the country, if we don't have pathways to wealth building,

06:17and this is a very clear path to that, we are in trouble. So we need to think creatively

06:23outside the box. And I want to be fair to the administration because they have inherited many

06:28things from past administrations. And really, things are getting better. 86 businesses opened

06:37in Center City, vending spots that used to sit empty. Health inspectors are doing preview

06:42walkthroughs at FDR park so vendors know what to expect. And the commercial activity license is

06:49free online and instant. That one matters. It proves the city can do this when the system is

06:55built for it. Pittsburgh just took three vending licenses and made them into one and held a support

07:03day where a vendor walked out licensed the same morning. We can do that here. So this is what I

07:12am listening for. From commerce, the numbers, how long it takes, how many give up, what the fees

07:20they bring in, from the market organizers, what it takes to carry a vendor through because they're

07:25doing it now with their own staff. From owners, the honest version of year one. Then we write

07:33something. Then we look at what we can do to be supportive in this space. So to the witnesses,

07:38thank you for giving up an afternoon because time is money. And I know you're here helping

07:44our city to do better. So we deeply appreciate it. So for people who are who are the whole payroll

07:52are now this is not a small ask to show up here. So I thank you all for being here. We'll try to

07:57be as efficient as possible so we can get you back to earning your keep. And I thank again all my

08:03council members here who are deeply supportive of this ecosystem and we want to make it better.

08:08Thank you, Chair. I yield back. Thank you, Council Member. Mr. Sham, will you now please

08:16call the first panel to testify on this resolution? Yvonne Boyle, Boy, Deputy Commerce Director,

08:23Office of Neighborhood Economic Development, Department of Commerce. Yvonne, when you're

08:36ready, just state your name for the record and then proceed with your testimonies.

08:39Good afternoon, Chairperson Squealer and members of the Committee on Commerce and Economic

08:55Development. My name is Yvonne Boyle and I am the Deputy Commerce Director leading the Office

09:02of Neighborhood Economic Development. Before I share my testimony, I just wanted to offer my

09:10congratulations to the two businesses you mentioned for staying the course and creating

09:16jobs. That is what we all want to see. So thank you for bringing them up. And also for

09:25FDR Park in the southeastern Asian market. We were hand in hand, the Commerce Department,

09:33that is, step by step over many years to get them to where they are. I also wanted to stay

09:40that for the record. Thank you. I am here to share testimony regarding Resolution No. 260552,

09:52introduced by Councilmember Nina Ahmad, which authorizes this Committee to hold hearings on

10:01the process of starting a micro-business or pop-up shop in Philadelphia and how the city can

10:08streamline that process so more micro-businesses grow into small businesses. Micro-businesses are

10:17the foundation of Philadelphia's local economy and are vital to a thriving business ecosystem.

10:26According to 2023 Census data, there were approximately 127,494 non-employer establishments

10:41in Philadelphia, which we know are businesses that have no paid employees and have at least

10:49$1,000 in annual business receipts. Non-employer businesses are generally small, such as mom-and-pop

11:00shops and vendors, but can also include businesses we don't consider micro-businesses

11:07or pop-ups, such as real estate. Based on tax year 2024, BERT returns, 43,600 businesses

11:20operated completely in Philadelphia and reported less than $250,000 in gross receipts. Over 72,500

11:34businesses operating entirely in Philadelphia reported more than $250,000 in gross receipts.

11:46Tax year 2024 is the most recent complete year of data available. The city understands

11:54the importance of creating resources and programs to help these entrepreneurs turn their business

12:01idea into a reality. To support this important goal, the city has several new resources

12:09available online to help small businesses and independent contractors better understand their

12:16tax responsibilities and navigate doing business in Philadelphia. These include accessible guidance,

12:24such as five tips for starting a business in Philadelphia and five things to know as an

12:31independent contractor working in Philadelphia, as well as information on tax changes for tax year

12:392025 and beyond. Businesses and independent contractors can also participate in revenue's

12:47webinar series, which provides additional information and guidance on business taxes

12:54and related requirements. Together, these tools provide easy-to-access information for individuals

13:02who are starting a business. Commerce also understands the importance of direct,

13:09personalized support. We encourage entrepreneurs to start their business journey by contacting the

13:17Mayor's Business Action Team. They are a talented, dynamic team that provides personalized assistance

13:25in multiple languages to business owners on all aspects of doing business in Philadelphia.

13:31In fiscal year 2026 alone, MBAC supported 7,734 businesses. In the coming weeks,

13:46commerce will launch the Philadelphia Business Resource Hub, a new user-friendly platform that

13:53gives entrepreneurs, business owners, and anyone interested in doing business in Philadelphia

14:00easy access to the tools, information, and resources they need to start, operate, and grow.

14:08With additional funding beginning in fiscal year 2026 through the Jumpstart initiative,

14:16Commerce has significantly expanded its support for small businesses. Last fiscal year,

14:24Jumpstart-enabled programs served 4,191 more businesses, an increase of 32.5%. Programs

14:37to highlight include the Business Technical Assistance Program, the Business Affinity Group

14:43Capacity Program, vending programs like the Christmas Village, the Christmas Village

14:51Mission Grant, the Vending Opportunity Expansion Grant, and the Small Business Catalyst Fund. These

14:59programs create pathways to economic opportunity and help entrepreneurs grow and strengthen their

15:06businesses. Through the Business Technical Assistance Program, Commerce funds business

15:12support organizations that provide workshops, training, and one-on-one technical assistance

15:19to small businesses in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. In fiscal year 2026, our partner

15:27organizations supported 1,035 businesses. The Business Affinity Group Capacity Program

15:36launched in fiscal year 2026, collaborated with identity-based organizations to help more than

15:43360 businesses connect with Commerce resources. Fiscal year 2027 introduces a new partnership

15:53with the Reading Terminal Market through the Business Affinity Group Program, making three

15:59days tall spaces available to approximately 12 to 24 micro businesses each year. This opportunity

16:11will help participating owners gain product visibility, gather customer feedback, and receive

16:19personalized coaching to support their next stage of growth. Our vending support strategies

16:28also continue to strengthen early-stage businesses. Alongside Philadelphia Parks and Rec,

16:35Commerce funds non-profits to help low- and moderate-income and emerging

16:41Philadelphia-based vendors participate in the Christmas Village. Over the last four years of

16:48the program, more than 60 micro businesses have had the opportunity to vent at the Christmas

16:55Village, where they collectively made over $250,000 in sales. In fiscal year 2026, through the

17:05Jump Start funding, we piloted the Vending Opportunity Expansion Grant. Eleven organizations

17:13received funds to support the creation of low- to no-cost vending opportunities for vendors and

17:20emerging entrepreneurs based in Philadelphia. This pilot program is creating vending opportunities

17:27across the city this year, giving micro businesses new ways to grow and thrive. To coordinate this

17:36growing portfolio, Commerce has hired a full-time manager of vendor strategies and programs

17:42to oversee vending support programs and to streamline interdepartmental processes.

17:50This tough position centralizes the many ways Commerce supports vendors and micro businesses,

17:57enabling more effective collaboration with other Commerce services and programs. We also recognize

18:06that access to capital remains a significant challenge for many entrepreneurs as they continue

18:12to operate and grow. The Small Business Catalyst Fund helps meet this need by prioritizing

18:22businesses based on financial need, growth potential, and economic impacts. Since the

18:32program launched in 2025, Commerce has awarded more than $10.7 million in grants to over 294

18:42businesses made possible by Jump Start funding. The Parker Administration recognizes the challenges

18:50that new and small businesses face in Philadelphia as they navigate the city systems. That is why

18:59Mayor Parker's PHL Open for Business Executive Order was and continues to be so important.

19:07The Executive Order established a partnership led by the Department of Commerce and the Mayor's

19:14Office of Policy Planning and Delivery in collaboration with business-facing departments

19:20across the city. Through PHL Open for Business, the city is working to reduce barriers, improve

19:29services, and help Philadelphia businesses thrive. I would like to highlight some examples

19:35of the inter-departmental Open for Business projects since 2024. As you mentioned, we reopened

19:44Santa City Vending Lottery, providing 86 businesses opportunities to end previously vacant

19:51spots. We delivered three multilingual technical assistance workshops for approximately 60 food

19:59track vendors to help them submit proposals to vent in city parks. With additional support

20:06for businesses, Parks and Rec received twice as many proposals as in previous years. We developed

20:15culturally specific field guidance and tailored communication and bias training for food safety

20:23inspectors. These resources helped them better understand global food practices and respond to

20:30the diverse needs of Philadelphia's food businesses. In addition to the improvements

20:37achieved through PHL Open for Business, the Department of Public Health continues to play

20:43an essential role in supporting Philadelphia's food-based micro-enterprises and vendors. DPH has

20:52many resources available to support businesses of all sizes, such as an updated food safety

21:00inspection guide to help businesses understand what to expect during inspections and feel more

21:07prepared. An online option for completing the food safety certification process, giving business

21:14owners more flexibility to choose what works best for them. Support for farmers markets with

21:22technical assistance and promotion of food safety standards and best practices. We recognize that

21:31many micro-businesses and pop-up vendors get their start in parks and outdoor markets,

21:38and we remain committed to working across departments to ensure these opportunities

21:45are accessible and supportive for emerging entrepreneurs. The Department of Commerce,

21:52together with the park administration, looks forward to continued collaboration with city

21:59council, community partners, and business owners to ensure that our programs, resources,

22:08and policies strengthen Philadelphia's entrepreneurial landscape and promote

22:14economic opportunity and business stability for all. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

22:23Thank you so much for your testimony. Before we move on, is there any questions

22:31recognizing Councilmember Ahmed? Thank you so much. Thank you so much for being here. I know how long

22:39you've been in the trenches doing this work, and you have seen progress, right? Sometimes it's

22:44hard for us on the outside to see how much change has happened, so I'm very grateful to you for

22:49hanging in there and helping our Commerce Department and the city move forward. I just

22:56wanted to, in my opening comments, I mentioned Pittsburgh and the fact that they were able to

23:07streamline the process. So I wondered if, like Pittsburgh, they made three vending licenses

23:14and put them into one and held like a half day of engagement with vendors they could meet

23:23and then walk them and then they walk out with the license. Have we looked at something like

23:28this? Are we able to do something like this? And if you could speak to that. That is the

23:34purpose of the open for business, right? So if we have not looked at it, we certainly are open to

23:43looking at it. Our goal, as yours is, is to make it easy or as easy as possible for small businesses

23:52to start, operate, and grow. And so I will take whatever information that you have, I'll take it

23:58back to my colleagues who are part of the PHL open for business and we'll look into it and see

24:05where that can go. It'd be great if you can get back to us so the Dominican share with our public

24:10as well where we are on that, so I appreciate that. And one more question. You had said that

24:16the Christmas Village has put more than 60 micro businesses through in four years and they have

24:22made over $250,000 in sales. So clearly it works, right? So why do we only run it for five weeks

24:32of Christmas Village? Maybe there's some other iteration we could look at. You have also piloted

24:38the Vending Opportunity Expansion Grant with 11 organizations this year. Which markets did

24:45that fund and how many vendors got in and what is the budget for us to continue to do that? So

24:50basically you've got some tools. How do we amplify them and make them more year-round to do this?

24:58So it's your question about the new opportunity that we just did? Yes. So you had the Vending

25:05Opportunity Expansion Grant. So one is to say if we can do it in the Christmas Village,

25:10we know we can do it more broadly. And then the second part is the Vending Opportunity Expansion

25:16Grant and who actually got that? And so how we can make more people be eligible for that?

25:24Okay. So with the Christmas Village, yes, we've been doing it for four years,

25:29we don't actually run the Christmas Village, right? So this was just our way to support

25:36more small, low and moderate income vendors to be able to participate, right? And so we don't

25:44actually fund the vendors. What we fund are non-profits who support them to get in there.

25:52Yes. So there could be opportunity, but we don't run it and there could be limits to

25:58who can get in. We can by all means work with Parks and Rec, who is our partner on this,

26:06to see if the opportunity exists, to expand it. But this is where we are currently. So I would

26:12think if we can look at the commercial corridors, right? And work with Parks and Recs and then

26:18look at those opportunities to do Christmas Village-like engagement in other corridors

26:25all over the city to give people opportunity throughout the year. So we will follow up on

26:30that as well. And the second part you were going to ask? Yes. So the second part, I want to give

26:34you the right information. And if I don't have it currently, I can send it to you as to who the

26:4111 organizations are, who got it, and who they worked with to be part of this. I'm sure I can

26:50find it, but we can ask other questions. Yeah, you can maybe give that to us. Yes, I can give that

26:55to you. And you and my colleagues have a question for Yvonne. Chair recognizes Councilman Gaudier.

27:03Thank you, Mr. Chair. Well, first I want to start, Yvonne, by just saying how much we appreciate

27:10you. You're like a rock star in our community, especially among the immigrant business owners.

27:16And I think that people can see not just how hard you work, but that your heart is in the work.

27:21So thank you for everything that you do. And it's been exciting to hear about

27:26all of the things that you're focusing on and all of the progress. And thanks to my colleague,

27:31Dr. Councilmember Ahmed, for focusing on this. I think it's such an important topic,

27:37particularly if we want to keep dropping in that list of most impoverished cities. So we're at two,

27:46but maybe if we invest in micro businesses and in our entrepreneurs, we can get to three and to

27:52four and off the list one day. This resonates on a lot of levels with the work that I've

28:01done in my district and with what I've seen. I've gotten a chance to see a lot of this up close,

28:07sometimes by accident. In particular, my office helped to establish a new vendor market at Clark

28:14Park. And this came about because there was a lot of sort of unofficial vending that popped up at

28:20Clark Park during the pandemic. However, we have established markets there. We have a very

28:25successful farmer's market. We have Yehuru, which is a black owned, black established market. And

28:32so there was conflict because you have vendors who have been doing all the right things. And

28:36they're like, "Hey, how do people just get to show up here?" And at first, the city was going

28:42to enforce on those vendors and we kind of got them to slow down and go through a more intentional

28:48process with my office. And we winded up establishing a new sanctioned market, but

28:55it took so much work. We didn't realize that there are different rules for vending in the park

29:01versus vending on the street. There are multiple agencies, city agencies that have to be involved

29:08in this work. And we took a lot of notes from the FDR Park effort, which I commend you all on

29:13commerce, Parks and Rec. Justin DiBordinas did a lot of work on that. All of the entrepreneurs,

29:21we borrowed from those lessons, but I know that they have had a hard way to go and it's taken a

29:27long time. So a part of me just wants to make this easier. I also have, as a council member,

29:34have had to step in so many times to defend food trucks in my district who get bullied by

29:40universities and other institutions and large brick and mortar businesses and are constantly

29:46challenged on their right to exist, on their legitimacy as businesses. When many times,

29:53these are folks just trying to make a living, right? Many of them new to our city and to our

29:57country. I want to see things be easier for them as well. And then I also think we're missing a

30:03gigantic opportunity on our commercial corridors. I have watched, you know, in a life prior to

30:09council, I used to work for a community development organization called LISC. And so I've watched for

30:15more than a decade as the vendors on 52nd Street have been treated as a nuisance, right? We just

30:21want to shoo them away, get away from, you know, these legitimate businesses when really

30:26they are part of what makes West Philadelphia a special place, right? And they are opportunities

30:33to like bring culture onto our our corridors and vibrancy onto the street. So I love everything

30:41that you're doing, but I want to see us really dig in on these small businesses because these

30:46are the folks that are going to save the city. It's not going to be Amazon, right? It's going

30:50to be folks within our communities that are allowed to connect to opportunity and who

30:56are not treated like as a hindrance, but treated as the real captains of industry in this city.

31:02And so thank you for everything that you've done. And I'm all in on working with my colleague and

31:07commerce and everybody else who wants this to dig in even deeper. Thanks so much.

31:13Thank you very much. Appreciate your comments. Thank you, council member. And

31:18we echo that how important it is for small businesses and appreciate all your efforts

31:23here is working with commerce and understanding the challenges are out there and how we as a

31:29city not only look at this part of it, but how we look at in general what we do affects

31:37small business. So with you and council together, how we can work together to make it better for

31:43all. So thank you so much for your testimony. Is there any other questions? Seeing none,

31:48thank you so much. Thank you for the opportunity. Mr. Shaw, can you please read the next panel

31:55and testify? So right that on behalf of FDR park, Southeast Asian market, Bridget Palumbo,

32:02the food trust and Sarada Cordero sustainable business network of greater Philadelphia.

32:09Please come up to the table. Good start. We'll start with you and then we'll state your name

32:33for the record and we'll proceed to the to my left. Good afternoon, chair, council member,

32:41Ahmad and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is

32:46Saray Taj and I am the business assistance coordinator at the Southeast Asian market

32:51and a founder of two Philadelphia small businesses in South Philadelphia and one nine one four five

32:56for over 40 years. The sea market has offered cultural street food, clothing and apothecary

33:02goods. Today we hosted more than 70 permanent and rotating vendors. Most of our vendors are

33:09refugees and immigrants from Southeast Asia and English is their second or third language.

33:16With our partners, CAGP and Friends of FDR, we provide a translation and business education

33:22to help vendors become fully compliant, including commercial activity licenses,

33:27serve safe certifications and commissary kitchen memberships. This was the very first year every

33:34vendor completed the full public health department process. Each vendor went through four to five

33:39separate applications with many trips, forms and weeks of work. It took over three months and

33:45nearly $1,500 per vendor before they passed inspection and were ready to sell. I am very

33:52proud of them. Two things made the process more challenging than we expected. First were the

33:58permit costs and variety. Vendors need different permits depending on where and how long they sell,

34:04which adds up quickly for small businesses and the applications are hard to navigate for people

34:10with limited English or literacy, as well as the time they needed to find translation and support.

34:16Second, formal bookkeeping is new to many of our vendors and it matters because taxes matter for

34:22every business owner. Many of our vendors are not yet familiar with the business income and receipts

34:28tax or the net profits tax or why they apply. They simply want to connect dots. They want to

34:35know everything a business requires so that they can understand their profits and losses and decide

34:40on how they want to operate. A bookkeeping class in their own languages would have made every step

34:45a little easier. The support our vendors needed went well beyond translation. Many cannot read

34:52in any language and many carry the lasting effects of the war on genocide in Cambodia and Laos,

34:58which makes trusting a new system very difficult. Our elders often ask why and they deserve a real

35:05answer. What did work for us was the Department of Commerce's affinity grant program which funded

35:10a business assistance coordinator who helps vendors reach compliance, tracks expiration dates

35:16and supports renewals. I respectfully ask the committee to protect this program. The Public

35:22Health Department team led by Dawn Keiswetter has also been extremely helpful, offering preview

35:29inspections so vendors know what to expect. I have two requests. First, support bookkeeping

35:35and basic business education in Southeast Asian languages, including how taxes like BERT and NPT

35:41work and why they matter, taught in a way that is sensitive to what vendors already know and what

35:46is new to them. Second, to support creative, culturally responsive education such as short

35:53videos and live demonstrations that explain not only what is required but why. Business

35:58culture here is very different from what many of our elders knew in Southeast Asia and visual

36:04explanations help bridge that gap. Thank you for your time and your support of small businesses

36:09and immigrant entrepreneurs. Thank you for your testimony. Please state your name for the

36:18record and proceed and we'll ask for questions after the panel is completed. Thank you. I'm

36:23Zareto Cordero, the Executive Director at the Sustainable Business Network and to get started

36:28I want to say good afternoon to Council Member Ahmed and the members of this committee. My name

36:33is Zareto Cordero and again I am the Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Network,

36:37better known as SBN and since 2001 we have worked alongside the locally owned businesses that make

36:43the city what it is and today we reached more than 500 of them through our events and our programs.

36:49Thank you Council Member Ahmed for this resolution and for making room for the

36:53smallest businesses in this conversation. Starting a business is a path to economic

36:58mobility. A pop-up table, a market booth on a first storefront is how many Philadelphians

37:03build wealth. When the first step works the owners earn more, hires from the block,

37:09buys from local businesses and fills an empty storefront. That is a positive economic cycle

37:14and it starts with how easy or how hard we make this first step. Right now the process itself is

37:22a barrier. Many local owners are starting out while managing English as a second language,

37:28little access to capital, no lawyer or accounting to call, a second job, a family, this list can

37:34continue to go on. For them a confusing process and extra fees can leave a business feeling

37:40limited and unable to grow. It's defeating and I promise you it can absolutely take a toll on

37:46their well-being. Take a home baker for example, selling at neighborhood pop-ups. She files a

37:53separate food application for every event 30 days ahead at $48 each or $113 if she's late.

38:00After three events she starts over with a different application. She grows it into a cart

38:06that's $330 for a vendor license and $179 for a food license before equipment or booth fees.

38:14On a $400 weekend one late application will take more than a quarter of her sales.

38:20So where is a return on investment for this business? I asked our members what this looks

38:26like. One member who recently opened their storefront called getting the city's permit

38:31and licenses incredibly challenging. Like many first business owners, I lost my line, thank you,

38:40they put the businesses on personal credit cards to survive the first year. In their words,

38:46many are crippled by the substantial interest with those credit cards and sometimes even higher

38:51interest that is attained on the street to keeping their business alive. Sarah Shue of

38:56Salt Design Studios does work for the city. She told us billing city agencies means cumbersome

39:02forms. The same information entered over and over again and waiting at least three months to get

39:07paid. For a small firm that is a cash flow crisis. This is an equity issue. A $330 vendor

39:16license is 11% of revenue for an owning, for an owner selling $3,000 a year and about 1/10th

39:23of 1% for a business selling $300,000 a year. One size fits all pricing means the smallest

39:30businesses pay the most. We need an evidence-based equitable model that meets each business at the

39:36size that they're at. At SBN, through the work of our cohort sustainability initiatives program,

39:42we help owners find what their business needs and where the gaps are. From expenses and managing

39:47funds to operations and sales. Mentoring opens the door to these things owners rarely talk about,

39:53especially the legal side. Leases, vendors agreements, and contracts come with fine prints

39:59and many owners sign without knowing what that means. A member who says let's read or a mentor

40:06who says let's read this together before you sign can be the complete difference of a business

40:12that grows and one that will eventually have to close. Partnerships like this and the Department

40:17of Carmen's business action team are working. They're worth protecting but also we need to

40:23continue to improve them so it works for everybody. So here's what we ask. First, one license that

40:29lasts all year for pop-ups and temporary vendors. One guide with every free and contact up front

40:35and a dedicated point of contact at LNI for our micro businesses. Second, an evidence-based

40:42equitable free model that matches the size of the business so the smallest owners are

40:46impressed out before they grow into the taxpayer the city needs and that makes it easier for

40:51businesses across the region to take part. Third, faster payment and simpler forms for local

40:56businesses that work for the city. Fourth, investing in trusted partners like the ones

41:02that are here today or partners like SVN who work with owners through the process

41:07and the fine print. When we lower the costs and simplify the process owners keep more of what they

41:13earn. They reinvest, they hire, they grow. Their neighbors benefit and the city gains a stronger

41:20tax base and livelier corridors. Economic mobility for one owner becomes prosperity

41:27for the whole neighborhood. We need to create sustainable models and processes that help

41:31businesses build to last, not build to struggle. So SVN's ready to help. We will bring this work

41:38to our network and partner with the committee and the Department of Commerce wherever it is useful.

41:42Thank you for having us here today. Thank you for your testimony. Please state your name and

41:50proceed with your testimony. Hi, good afternoon everyone. My name is Bridget Palumbo and

41:57thank you all for inviting us here with this opportunity. I recognize many of you as council

42:03members who we where we have some of our markets in your district so it's great to speak with you

42:08today. So I am director of healthy food access at the food trust which is the Philadelphia based

42:15nonprofit as many of you may know. We work to ensure that everyone has access to delicious

42:20nutritious food and I oversee our market programming which includes our farmers market network and

42:26night market programming. Our CEO Mark Edwards he sends his regrets that he couldn't be here today

42:31but he also sends his regards to you all and is grateful for us to join this conversation.

42:37So I can just share that so for more than 30 years the food trust has operated farmers markets

42:44in Philadelphia and through that work we have worked alongside hundreds of farmers, producers,

42:49food entrepreneurs, food truck operators, makers and other small businesses many of them who are

42:55from the neighborhoods where their markets are cited and they we have stood up over 30 markets

43:01throughout the city many of them are along commercial corridors and city parks public spaces

43:09and out front of like co-located spaces such as health centers and WIC centers to increase access.

43:18Across the Philadelphia farmers markets vendors generate approximately 3.6 million in annual sales

43:25and that's millions of dollars that's flowing directly back to local farms our food producers

43:30small businesses and communities while also strengthening neighborhood economies and

43:36expanding access to an intrusive food. We see firsthand what this resolution recognizes.

43:42For many entrepreneurs a folding table really is where a business begins. Farmers markets and

43:48pop-ups provide relatively low cost opportunities for them to test product products sorry build a

43:55customer base and grow a business before investing in that brick and mortar storefront. These spaces

44:00are essential infrastructure for Philadelphia's smallest business members our business ecosystem

44:07and for neighborhood food access but that first step is often difficult and unfortunately also

44:14very discouraging for entrepreneurs. Members of our farmers market advisory group recently have

44:21been sharing experiences of navigating multiple city departments stating that it's unclear around

44:27what licensing requirements they need to meet that they receive inconsistent guidance depending on

44:34which door they enter the process through. One vendor reported waiting months just for their

44:39commercial license because an approval depended on one single unavailable staff member and another

44:47couldn't easily determine whether assistance was available in their spoken language. For a one or

44:53two person business these barriers can mean lost income and missed opportunities because these

44:58entrepreneurs are made to be both the maker salesperson bookkeeper marketer compliance officer

45:06and lawyer all at once and for that reason we encourage the city to consider four key

45:14recommendations. These are going to be my cliff notes versions but we did include more data and

45:20details and recommendations that we think are opportunities from other cities and the written

45:26resolution that we are testimony sorry that we submitted for you. So first echoing what other

45:34panelists have shared creating a true one stop shop for micro businesses is the first recommendation.

45:41We feel that entrepreneurs should receive a clear roadmap of requirements costs and timelines with

45:46a dedicated navigator to help them work their way across departments. It would be even better if

45:53that was a single stream application as we're seeing in other cities and it was great to hear

46:01from his boy in the Commerce Department that they are working on an online business hub.

46:07We feel there is still a need to have more in-person neighborhood based opportunities

46:12like micro city halls or in-person business hubs with office hours where business owners

46:18and entrepreneurs can pop in on their timelines. Second we recommend right sizing the requirements

46:27and costs for micro businesses which is another thing I've heard echoed today encouraging a review

46:34of the cumulative cost the renewal schedules and the overlapping approvals to ensure that

46:40the processes are proportionate predictable and affordable for smaller entrepreneurs while

46:46maintaining important public protections. Some of those recommendations that are in the written

46:52testimony include that consolidation of the permits and also considering especially for

46:58farmers market vendors and those vendors who are farmers evaluating the permits that they need

47:04right now many of the farmers for example are required to get a prepared food license when

47:09they're really selling grocery items they're selling whole fruits and vegetables or things

47:15that haven't had to be processed but our understanding is they still have to apply

47:20for a prepared food permit which has all it triggers a whole slew of additional permits.

47:29Third strengthening connections between markets and market operators and small business resources

47:35farmers market operators such as the food trust and some of our partner market operators we have

47:40John Glenn here from Evergreen events and a few others in the room today they've been helping

47:45entrepreneurs with personal and warm handoffs to the technical assistance financing and storefront

47:50opportunities that city agencies offer and we've already seen what this kind of collaboration can

47:55accomplish. The food trust and other members of Philadelphia's farmers market advisory group worked

48:01alongside for example the Philadelphia Department of Public Health LNI and streets departments the

48:07past two years developing the city's farmers market operator guide which helped to translate

48:13the very complicated requirements into a clearer resource for specifically farmers market vendors

48:19and operators and we feel like we have a great opportunity to continue building on that model

48:24and that momentum. Finally and fourth we want to make sure that there's a mechanism for keeping

48:32all of our micro businesses and pop-up entrepreneurs included at the table through

48:37this process so that their voice is heard and we can get iterative feedback in place.

48:42One market vendor who participates in our monthly farmers market advisory group

48:47suggested creating an ongoing micro business advisory committee and we as a food trust

48:53support that recommendation so that they can help identify the barriers themselves since they're in

48:58it and help evaluate solutions and test drive some of those systems that we put in place.

49:05Philadelphia I'll end with this is a city of entrepreneurs and a city of markets. It has been

49:13since its beginning as we know like head house farmers market it was one of the first outdoor

49:18markets and we still have it today. Some businesses begin with a substantial capital and storefront

49:24and others begin with just a recipe a folding table and someone willing to take a chance on

49:28their idea. Our responsibility in this room is to make sure that the latter is there and that the

49:34first rung is within reach for everyone and with that I just want to thank you all for this

49:40opportunity to share with you today. The food trust looks forward to continuing this conversation

49:45with you and working with city council city agency partners other market operators and

49:52Philadelphia's entrepreneurs to refine our system so that it helps all business owners

49:57start grow and thrive and create a resilient ecosystem for all. Thank you all for your

50:08testimony and we appreciate your advocacy and support obviously looking at some of the

50:14challenge but it's not also the advocacy but it's important to hear the recommendations

50:19because that goes a long way on putting things together at least for us working with the

50:24administration on how we could make it easier and streamline the process and how we as council

50:35either need to do it through regulations or through legislation. So thank you. Are there

50:40any questions from members of the panel? Councilmember Ahmed. Thank you. Thank you so much for your

50:46testimony and I heard some common themes through it. One of it is about the regressive nature

50:53of the fees right and we are at a disadvantage here because of the uniformity clause that the

51:01state has in terms of how we levy and we have to look into it to see what we can or cannot do

51:09in terms of fees versus taxes. If it's a fee is it treated differently then if it's a tax we need

51:15to you know examine that to see what we legally can do but I hear the regressive nature of what

51:22these the fee structure is so definitely that is something we need to explore further and

51:30three of you mentioned I think about having the entrepreneurs this micro business small

51:36business at the table as we are crafting this so I want to make a commitment about no decision

51:44about you without you right let that that be operational for us in this space so that we make

51:51good policy right rather than just being able to say I did policy it has to be actionable

51:57and as our chair marks Pula said we want the implementers to be at the table which is

52:04you know commerce which is the you know executive branch to be there so they can work hand in hand

52:11this is not a gacha you know we're going to make you look bad this is about all working together

52:17and thinking outside the box sometimes you know we're a very old city and it's hard to break out

52:23and think differently we encountered that in many spaces because we keep doing what we have done

52:30because that's just habit and to disrupt that we need disruptors like you at the table to help

52:36us do that because thinking outside the box with the real lived experience is going to be critical

52:42I just have very fundamental questions that we can actually follow up on

52:47was you know talking about force survey you know you said it took

52:56it took fifteen hundred dollars in about three months to get one vendor through the health

53:02department do you know like where all that money went like because we want to follow the money

53:10well um it was a combination of just fees permits um as well as them having to get compliance

53:22so for example instead of having two cutting boards they need nail six for example so it's

53:27also inventory that they also had to um have as well yes but the devil is always in the details

53:33like I would never have known two cutting boards versus six right that's an expense to the operate

53:39to the business owner so a lot of the times I think part of it is many who make these plans

53:47and decisions and forms have never run a business and that is why it's important to have your voices

53:56all of your voices to actually say why do you need uh six cutting boards we understand it's

54:02for hygiene is there another way to go around that and if you haven't actually operated in

54:09a small space that is coming and moving coming every weekend I can only imagine how problematic

54:18that is answering to authorities who really have never run a business or a business of that type

54:25and sometimes even if they have to actually go out and experience I would recommend everybody

54:32who makes policy around that to stand in your shoes literally to spend a day in all of these

54:39different types of businesses to say what does it mean when you're asking so many things from us

54:46and so that how do you streamline it so hear it loud and clear about streamlining I think

54:51I think our our our executive branch is really invested in doing that sometimes it's a matter

54:58of bureaucracy and going through all the layers I can tell you Yvonne understands this intimately

55:05but for her to work through all the layers to actually get it you know a regulation

55:12changed needs all of us and that's why we are here as your advocates within government as well

55:18to do that so that was one question for you and quickly for Bridget thank you again to the food

55:26food trust for being in so many spaces right and supporting healthy nutrition so you worked with

55:34the health department and other operators to write the farmers market operator guide and you're

55:40suggesting a standing micro business advisory committee I'm always very nervous to have one

55:47more committee to have one more body that something could get lost in so if you can

55:55quickly kind of comment on what did you imagine with that because I just don't want another

56:02committee with another report to say this and then nothing happened right right right and not

56:10every committee has to be forever I can say for the farmers market advisory group it started with

56:16a very specific and tangible goal of like walking through a list of processes and trying to

56:24troubleshoot with the city partners on like how can we make it easier like any step of the way

56:32like what things are what levers can we pull on and what things are kind of frozen in place that

56:37we can't really touch and the operator guide was an outcome of that and now we we continue to meet

56:43but it's more like a pop-in monthly office hours so people come we'll check in by email and say

56:49like is there anyone that has like a big issue that we need to address in the moment and if not

56:54then we skip for the month and stay connected through email so it's it started very high touch

57:01and it's since more of a we will keep in touch and be in touch as needed but I think having the

57:09the space there and knowing that it's available has helped a lot just knowing that there's it's

57:16kind of like a security blanket of sorts where the farmers market advisory group members can

57:22come together when needed you're speaking about just farmers market i'm talking about this

57:29so we can talk later more about whether there has to be a space where people come with practical

57:35problems not so much big and it can lead to bigger changes but to say which we get a lot

57:42of office calls are constituent it's like a constituent call right of in for small business

57:48to say i encountered this my water got shut down or something happened what do we do i

57:55i think we need an action team more than just an advisory that we and we'll think about that but

58:02that's where my head was going that what do people need need who are busy they don't need

58:08more theory they need this you know the two two cutting board versus six cutting board that could

58:14be something that could have come up right and immediately had the health department respond

58:19what is the reason can we what is the need for that can we change that do we need that

58:23and what other ways can we meet the need without having to invest in

58:28four other cutting boards is the example i'm thinking of so we would we would like to work

58:34with all of you further to see what that sort of action team which would also include you know

58:43commerce and potentially lni and and health and have all of representatives from there to bring

58:51to be a clearinghouse for problems yeah and i agree with that and i think with an action

58:56committee there's so many people in this room that could be like the funnel of the information

59:01also knowing that it's really hard to get small business owners in all in the room they're not

59:05operating on the same schedule but even for this hearing like we were able to incorporate the

59:12voices of at least six vendors that we work with who aren't able to be here today because

59:17of their schedules so i think it's leaning on the people who are connected to the people

59:23thank you for modeling good behavior thank you thank you council member gaudier thank

59:32you mr chair uh first one is a thank you all for all of your work in the city um i love the

59:37southeast asian market it's just amazing um if people haven't visited they should um zerida

59:44um as the former former executive director of sp and i'm always proud to see you and the work

59:50that you're doing and obviously the farmer's market at clark park that run by the food trust

59:56is such a beloved um community asset

1:00:00And also is providing a lot of healthy food. I also wanted to thank you all for coming

1:00:05with actual recommendations. I really appreciated them. Everything from streamlining these processes

1:00:12and applications, making permits last longer so folks don't have to do the same processes

1:00:19again and again. Right sizing fees, making sure that impacted business owners are actually

1:00:25at the table as we're making policy. Those all seem like extremely reasonable recommendations

1:00:34and I'm glad that Yvonne stayed beyond her testimony and I hope that we'll be taking

1:00:41some of these recommendations to heart and implementing them. I also fully agree that

1:00:46we have to do so much better around language access so I hope that that is one that we

1:00:50also run with. I wanted, I heard you say one item in your recommendations around the city

1:00:58paying faster and I just wanted to say that I had a wonderful conversation this week with

1:01:04our fairly new procurement commissioner, Commissioner Hovey. And he seems to be doing a lot of work

1:01:11reforming our system, all of our procurement systems, working with Pew around research

1:01:18and recommendations that they've offered the city around changes to procurement and so

1:01:23I hope that your recommendations make it to him as well as he's undertaking this effort

1:01:30with the city. And you know I wanted to touch on Dr. Ahmed's comments in that this is not

1:01:37just about, yes we should be helping the most disadvantaged business owners, but this

1:01:43is not just about that. This is about what makes economic sense, good economic sense

1:01:48for our city and I think some of these fees that happen, some of them are because people

1:01:56have never run a business, but I think some of them are because we just make enormous

1:01:59value judgments on who is bringing the most benefit to Philadelphia. I see time and time

1:02:05again we give big tax benefits to big businesses. We don't, in my opinion, in my humble opinion,

1:02:11ask enough questions, ask to see enough data on actually what they're achieving. When

1:02:18I think if we peered more deeply into it, a lot of economic benefit comes from helping

1:02:23people to start their own small businesses, helping them move up the ladder. So this

1:02:28is not even just about doing what's good, I think this is also about doing what's good

1:02:34economically for our city. So I'm hopeful, and we'll push for all of these recommendations

1:02:39to actually become things that we do as a matter of practice in our city. Thanks so

1:02:44much. Thank you. Thank you so much for your testimony, and I really appreciate your advocacy

1:02:53as we continue to work through these challenges. Can we please read the next panel to testify?

1:03:02We have Michelle Miller and Molly Currier-Kolakos, The Ground, Erica Sweeney, Medusa Raptor,

1:03:10Desiree Rivers, Sister Sense and Andre Andrews, Dre's Water Eyes. So I guess we'll start

1:03:35from the left, my right. Just state your name for the record and then proceed with

1:03:42your testimony. Thank you. Hi, thank you members of the committee. My name is Molly

1:03:46Currier-Kolakos, and I'm here with Michelle Miller, my friend and business partner, co-owner

1:03:52of The Ground Coffee Plants and Gifts. We began just the two of us with pop-ups testing

1:03:57the idea through sidewalk sales and outdoor events, and we opened our first shop near

1:04:02North Square in 2022 with one employee. Today we have two locations, including The Ground

1:04:09written house, and we employ approximately 30 people. Although we've grown, we do remain

1:04:16small, self-funded, owner-operated business with a tight cash flow. We do not have a

1:04:21development team dedicated staff to navigate permitting. Michelle and I do all that work

1:04:26ourselves while also running the business. Our biggest challenge is that the cost and

1:04:31complexity of the process can make expansion financially out of reach for us. For example,

1:04:37our second location here in written house square, we greatly scaled back our renovation

1:04:42plans and limited our work to just cosmetic changes. We couldn't afford the combined

1:04:47cost of architectural drawings, engineering drawings, the permits, and paying for the

1:04:53space to sit empty while we did all of that work once we obtained the lease. The effects

1:04:59of that scale back meant retrofitting equipment into a space that does not fully meet our

1:05:03needs and repeatedly patching flooring that we had hoped to replace from the beginning.

1:05:09Scaling back helped us afford to open and helped us open quickly, but left us with

1:05:13ongoing maintenance costs and a less efficient working space. Our experience with outdoor

1:05:20seating illustrates another challenge, understanding the permitting process, the requirements,

1:05:25and finding a way to resolve those problems. We initially understood that the existing

1:05:30outdoor seating permit issued under the previous business owner's name covered our location

1:05:35similar to other used permits that we had worked under. In September of 2025, we received

1:05:41approximately a year's worth of outdoor seating violation notices together through the mail

1:05:47bundled in one mailing with rubber bands, all with the same postmark date. And by the

1:05:51time they arrived, some of the stated appeal deadlines had already passed. We began pursuing

1:05:57an appeal while also starting the process of obtaining our own outdoor seating permit.

1:06:03We called the number on the notices. We scheduled an appeal hearing for January 27, 2026. You

1:06:09may not remember, but that was one of the days that the city offices closed due to

1:06:12a snowstorm. We received no notification about the cancellation and no follow-up instructions

1:06:18on rescheduling. Despite numerous calls to that same number that we originally scheduled

1:06:23the appeal with, no one that we reached could reschedule the hearing or could connect us

1:06:28with someone that could reschedule it. We've received no further communication explaining

1:06:33how to pursue the appeal. And as far as we know, those tickets remain outstanding, but

1:06:37we've been unable to confirm their status or get an appeal heard.

1:06:43I'm Michelle Miller. So just to add on to that story, meanwhile, the permit application

1:06:47presented its own barriers. We were adding tables and chairs, not constructing an outdoor

1:06:53structure. The application information indicated that we could submit our own drawings and

1:06:59measurements, but we could not complete the online submission without an architect's identifying

1:07:04information. We ultimately had to hire an architect and spent more than $1,000 on drawings

1:07:11and information we believed that we could have provided ourselves. That added expense

1:07:16and time to a straightforward request, especially because the same location had a permit approved

1:07:24for the same exact thing for more than a decade previous to us. We were unable to access

1:07:29these pre-existing approved applications, which could have saved us a tremendous amount

1:07:34of time and energy. Our direct interactions with city employees have generally been positive.

1:07:41People have been willing to help. The difficulty is navigating the system, finding the right

1:07:46person and getting a problem resolved. We found difficulty finding someone who could

1:07:50give us answers. We were pointed in the wrong direction multiple times over and over again

1:07:55and landed with no resolution to this day. We asked the committee to consider two improvements.

1:08:01First create an affordable and clearly defined path for simple projects, allowing owners

1:08:06to submit their own drawings or measurements where appropriate and ensuring that the online

1:08:11portals support that option. Second, provide clear point of contact, which I feel like

1:08:17we've heard many of the other panelists say today, to help small businesses to understand

1:08:23permit requirements, resolve errors and navigate appeals. Owners should receive notices in

1:08:29time to respond with clear instructions for rescheduling when hearings are cancelled.

1:08:34If this cannot be resolved easily, then a fair resolution needs to find its way forward

1:08:40without being the sole burden for the small business owners to try to navigate and resolve.

1:08:46We understand the need for safety standards and proper review, so we ask that the cost

1:08:51and complexity of the process reflects the scale of the project and the resources of

1:08:56the business itself. Businesses like ours can grow from a sidewalk table into employers

1:09:03supporting dozens of jobs. A clearer, more accessible process would help Philadelphia

1:09:09entrepreneurs make that journey and continue growing. We know how important small creative

1:09:15businesses are to creating vibrant neighborhoods, contributing to the safety and even real

1:09:19estate values, which all ultimately helps our city create real tax revenue beyond just

1:09:26what these small businesses contribute alone. Small brick and mortars and street and festival

1:09:31vendors are the fertilizer for a strong and healthy economy and tax base. We want to

1:09:37do everything that we can to support that. Thank you.

1:09:49Please state your name for the record and proceed.

1:09:51Hi, my name is Desiree Rivers. Good afternoon, Council Member Ahmad and members of the Committee

1:09:57on Commerce and Economic Development. Again, my name is Desiree Rivers and I own Sister

1:10:02Sense Fragrance Bar. It's a Philadelphia-based retail and experience business. And so thank

1:10:07you all for welcoming my perspective as a micro business owner and member of the African

1:10:11American Chamber of Commerce. I support the goal of resolution number 260552, making

1:10:18it easier, more affordable, and more understandable for entrepreneurs to start small and build

1:10:23lasting businesses. I have participated in community events, curated markets, church

1:10:28events, pop-ups throughout Philadelphia and the surrounding area, while growing my business

1:10:34from a studio space into a storefront. These opportunities have allowed me to introduce

1:10:39customers to my products, build relationships, and generate interest in the experiences that

1:10:44we offer. But access to a vending opportunity and the ability to afford that opportunity

1:10:50are two different things. Before making a single sale, a vendor must prepare inventory,

1:10:57arrange transportation, set up displays, and sometimes pay for parking, staffing, product

1:11:03contributions, in addition to the market fee. For micro business, as we've heard earlier,

1:11:09those upfront expenses, they can determine whether participation is possible at all.

1:11:14For example, during the summer of 2023, I vended at Dilworth Park and I intentionally

1:11:20selected weekends that coincided with major events, including the Roots Picnic and the

1:11:25Fan Expo Convention, expecting that the additional activity would bring potential customers.

1:11:31Foot traffic and sales were still very slow. And I understand that no market organizer

1:11:37can guarantee sales. But my point is that when resources are limited, one unsuccessful

1:11:43weekend can affect the money available for the next opportunity, supplies or regular

1:11:48business expenses. Clear information before committing helps owners weigh their risk.

1:11:56I've also considered participating in the annual Christmas Village, but the cost has

1:12:01kept it out of reach for my business. Beyond the market fee, I would need to prepare additional

1:12:06inventory and arrange coverage while continuing to pay my storefronts rent and overhead.

1:12:11The resolution recognizes established markets as models worth learning from. I agree that

1:12:17we should build on what works while also asking whether the smallest business can

1:12:21realistically afford to participate. I also work a full-time job while operating system

1:12:26cents. So not all entrepreneurs are only entrepreneurs. Many of us rely on outside

1:12:31employment while building a business that cannot yet replace our income and benefits.

1:12:38I balance that job with production, customer service, private events, storefront hours

1:12:44and administrative works. Limited time just like limited capital affects which opportunities

1:12:50I can pursue. I want to acknowledge and thank the Department of Commerce for the resources

1:12:55and programming that it offers. I appreciate the evening and weekend workshops that have

1:12:59started becoming available. And I encourage those options to continue growing. They do

1:13:04help working entrepreneurs participate without having to choose between their jobs, their

1:13:08customers and learning how to grow. My first-hand experience speaks most directly to market

1:13:15costs and access rather than specific licensing or permitting delays. Based on that experience,

1:13:22I ask the city to consider three priorities. First, I would like to see options that allow

1:13:27small business to participate at a level it can realistically afford. And that could

1:13:32include sliding scale fees, a sponsored booth, a shared space, or a one-day or one-weekend

1:13:39option at a proportionate price instead of a full-season commitment. Second, consider

1:13:44support for the expenses beyond the booth fee. Even when an opportunity is affordable

1:13:49and clearly explained, a small business still needs inventory, transportation, equipment

1:13:54and sometimes additional staffing to participate. Small participation grants, shared or provided

1:14:01equipment or partnerships that provide those services could help more entrepreneurs take

1:14:05advantage of existing opportunities. Knowing the full costs before applying and receiving

1:14:12realistic information about attendance and vendor placement helps small business owners

1:14:16decide which opportunities fit their resources. And no organizer can guarantee sales but clear

1:14:22communication helps vendors prepare and make informed choices. Third, build on existing

1:14:29business support resources with clear practical guidance about vending requirements, available

1:14:34assistance and upcoming opportunities and continue offering their support at times

1:14:39working entrepreneurs can access it. And finally, please remember that obtaining a storefront

1:14:45does not mean a business has moved beyond needing micro-business support. Many of us

1:14:50still operate with small teams or team of one, limited capital and narrow margins.

1:14:56And we're not asking the city to guarantee our success. We are asking for a clear and

1:15:00affordable opportunity to work toward it. Thank you for listening and for considering

1:15:05how Philadelphia can help as small as business start, stay and grow.

1:15:13Thank you. Is there anyone else to testify on this? Just stay in here for the record

1:15:19and then proceed.

1:15:32Good day members of the committee. My name is Erica Sweeney Weber. I'm also known as

1:15:37Medusa Raptor within the art community. I've been a working artist for over 20 years.

1:15:43Currently, I work from the Bridesburg section of the city from my home. I work alone, although

1:15:49I do occasionally collaborate with other artists or hire a helper for the day at shows where

1:15:54I need extra assistance.

1:15:56I work in a range of mediums from photography to custom fabric designed to upcycle clothing

1:16:02with a strong focus on the use of recycled materials. I also work a regular day job to

1:16:09provide myself with consistent income and health insurance. And I am also a caretaker

1:16:14for my mother. I went to Temple University's Tyler School of Art for Fine Art Photography.

1:16:22After I graduated, I started my journey as a working artist slowly. It began with a table

1:16:27that I split with two other friends at a market at Head Health Square. It was a way

1:16:32to make a little extra money with our spare craft materials because God knows we had enough

1:16:36of them. As time passed and my skills and reach grew, I did larger markets. It was

1:16:43less about making extra money and it became a way for me to support my community in a

1:16:47more direct way. Eventually, I had stores in other states reaching out for me to join

1:16:53them.

1:16:56The prestigious Tyler School of Art taught me many things. I can conceptualize a project.

1:17:01I can pivot when things are not working out as planned. I can pick and mix colors and

1:17:06patterns in my sleep. Unfortunately, the one thing that five years of schooling and tens

1:17:12of thousands of dollars in merit-based scholarships, grants and tuition, and student loan interests

1:17:17did not teach me was how to navigate the business and government side of art. Five

1:17:23years of art school with no education on how to make money is a grave disservice to

1:17:29the students of that school. Everything I have learned over the years about licensing,

1:17:34taxes, fees, permits, the paperwork of art I have learned by doing. It has been through

1:17:39talking to other vendors, showrunners, tripping my way through various government websites

1:17:44to figure out what I did and did not need, and sometimes spending hours calling different

1:17:48departments within state and local government agencies to finally get to that one right

1:17:53person who could help me. And it's a process that is perpetually ongoing. In the time

1:18:00I have been a working artist, I have worked in markets from Connecticut to Delaware, and

1:18:03each area has its own local and state requirements. Each government website has its own strengths

1:18:09and weaknesses as far as the ease of use for obtaining information. New York State,

1:18:15to date, has the best in terms of information for providing to vendors about the requirements

1:18:22necessary to work in New York State. They even have YouTube videos embedded in their

1:18:26website to walk people through those specific processes. And yes, I have used those YouTube

1:18:32videos to pay my taxes to New York State. The biggest challenge I have found as a working

1:18:40artist in Philadelphia is the lack of support and communication from the city. Artists

1:18:46face unique challenges in this city. Affordable studios and art centers are disappearing

1:18:51in favor of luxury housing. Developers are offered 10-year tax abatements while artists

1:18:56are saddled with the new BERT tax. It is already a challenge to make ends meet, and many of

1:19:01us are working additional jobs to sustain us. In the last 60 days, I have been part

1:19:08of two markets that were negatively affected by the weather. It's quite easy to end up

1:19:13losing money as an artist. All of this takes money out of our pockets. One friend of mine

1:19:19had used rent money to pay a market fee to try and get more bills paid. It was a gamble

1:19:26that did not pan out for him. He had to scramble to make up that loss and know his rent did

1:19:32not get paid. In my experience, three things would help our community most immediately.

1:19:39First, put the exemption to the BERT tax back in place. Few of us are making enough

1:19:46to survive to begin with. That tax puts a heavy burden on us. Second, the creative

1:19:53Philadelphia office can provide more specific, targeted information to vendors and artists

1:19:57about what the requirements are to work in Philadelphia. And from what it sounds like,

1:20:01a lot of us are asking for that information, so it doesn't have to be the creative Philadelphia

1:20:06office. Third, low barrier safety nets for low-income working artists need to be in place.

1:20:15Artists should not have to bet their rent money against a market fee in the hopes of

1:20:18being able to eat and to continue to buy materials to continue working. I have been

1:20:25incredibly fortunate to be a part of a community that has worked hard to keep ourselves afloat

1:20:29through lean times and through prosperous times. We have a joke in my immediate friend circle,

1:20:36whose turn is it with the $20 this week? This is a reference to the fact that once one

1:20:41of us makes money, it is very quickly spent within the community, oftentimes at other

1:20:47small and micro businesses. We keep the money moving. We do not let it sit and fester in

1:20:53some billionaire's account to do nothing for anybody else. And with City Council's help,

1:20:59the artists who run small and micro business, and not just the artists, because I'm only

1:21:04speaking for artists right now, but from everything I've heard today, it's not just us. It is

1:21:09everybody in this city. We can continue to help shape the culture of this city and truly

1:21:17help us live up to our reputation as a UNESCO World Heritage City. Thank you for your time.

1:21:26Thank you so much for your testimony. Please state your name for the record and then proceed.

1:21:35I'm sorry?

1:21:37Please state your name for the record and then you can proceed with your testimony.

1:21:39Good afternoon. My name is Andre Andrews. I'm the co-owner of Dre's Water, Ice and Ice Cream.

1:21:48Thank you for providing the opportunity for us to speak to you this afternoon. I do have

1:21:55a laundry list of things my colleagues for me mentioned, so I'm not going to go through

1:22:02every laundry list. My first issue I would like to speak on is in reference to navigating

1:22:10the city's website. I know being in business for 13 years is still very hard to navigate

1:22:18the city website for different departments, if it's the health department, LNI, or whatever

1:22:24the case may be in reference to our business. The second thing I would like to speak on

1:22:28has been mentioned earlier is vending fees. I know it hasn't been displayed over the news,

1:22:35but the country is dealing with economic times right now. I propose that maybe the

1:22:42city quarterly will look over the different fees for vending as well as the health department

1:22:49or special events to say, hey, the economy is rough. Should we consider lowering a vending

1:22:55fee? Supplies is out the roof. We have to pass this on to the consumer. We have a lot

1:23:04of events going on throughout the city for $2.50 prior to the fourth quarter, and a lot

1:23:09of people are showing up, but they're not spending money. We have to spend money for

1:23:13supplies to be the vending fees, the health department fees, and we have to pay our employees.

1:23:23A lot of businesses are not making money, so in the long run, vendors are not going

1:23:28to show up, and then we're not going to have any events for the taxpayers to come to enjoy

1:23:35the different season if it's Christmas Village, if it's different events for Fourth of July

1:23:42or events going throughout the city. The third thing I would like to speak on is the different

1:23:48health departments that you have to deal with when referenced to vending. For example,

1:23:53I've been in business for 13 years. I have a tent set up. I have several carts set up,

1:23:58and I also have an ice cream truck set up, and I have to deal with different departments.

1:24:03Sometimes, for me, I've been in business for 13 years, so I know, but for someone that

1:24:09may be in business for two or three years might not know what department to speak with,

1:24:15so for my tent set up is a different health department. For my truck and my cart set

1:24:19up is a different department, which is, I believe, over there on Chester Avenue is one

1:24:25department. Essenton Avenue is a different department. Another issue I have is, I have

1:24:32two ice cream trucks. In 2024, I applied to be a vendor on the streets, but I did not

1:24:41apply to be a vendor in 2025. So this year, I have a lot of things going on in 2027,

1:24:47so I went to go get my truck licensed, so I'll be prepared for 2027. I won't have

1:24:52to wait until the last minute or when an event come up, and they told me I had to pay

1:24:56a fee for 2025. So I'm trying to understand, where is this written that I have to pay

1:25:02for 2025 to get a license for 2027, or it was this year, so for 2026, 2027. Where is

1:25:12this written that in the book? So where did I go to LNI? Is this a written rule for LNI?

1:25:16Is this the health department? Which department says I have to pay? She said I had to notify

1:25:21her that I'm not vending on the streets in 2025, so I can't get 2026, 2027 without

1:25:31paying for 2025. So an entrepreneur that may not have the funds, is not going to have

1:25:37the money for 2025 and 2026 at the present time, did he look into seek a license to

1:25:45be a vendor for the current year. And last but not least, I know, like I said, I've

1:25:56been vending for 13 years, so an example for something I experienced this year for

1:26:02the Bruce picnic is, every year the rules is changed. So I'm applying to be a vendor

1:26:09and I'm being told that I have to pay, that I have to be in compliance with my taxes,

1:26:15which I understand. My issue is, one of my issues is, vendors from out of state doesn't

1:26:23have to follow the same rules as vendors in the city. So when I went to go apply, as

1:26:29any taxpayer or entrepreneur, you can apply for extension for your taxes, you don't always

1:26:35have to pay by April 15th. I, with the city or with the state, put in the extension to

1:26:41pay my taxes before, I think October 15th. So when I go to pay for the license, I was

1:26:48informed that I have to be current, not current, but being in compliance, I believe, with

1:26:55my taxes. So someone that don't have a counting or bookkeeper, they might have issues of getting

1:27:03that at the last minute. I was able to call my tax preparer and she was able to comply

1:27:09with the city and I was able to get my license for the Bruce picnic. But my issue is why

1:27:14someone from New York City or Baltimore doesn't have to follow the same tax rules and regulations

1:27:19that we do as a vendor. But I'm okay with paying my taxes. It's just that, you know,

1:27:25the prior year, I didn't have to go to, over to the next department to fill out the forms,

1:27:33just to let the city know that I was in compliance. That's all my issues for today. Thank you.

1:27:42Thank you. Thank you for that. And there are some regulations or requirements for Mel

1:27:47and I and permitting if there are, if there's no tax compliance. So they would have to

1:27:55get you to either file probably a zeros for the previous year and then you would be up

1:28:01to date and then you would be able to get the permit for the following year. So that's

1:28:05normally how that would work. But we could work without an eye. Councilmember Ahmad?

1:28:10No, go ahead. Thank you, chair. Thank you all for your testimony. It's all synced up,

1:28:18it seems, right, in terms of what are the issues. I'll just start with Andre. Thank

1:28:24you so much. I don't know if you were here. I started my opening remarks with you talking

1:28:29about you. And congratulations on your success despite all these things that you've had to

1:28:37bear with. And I want to thank everybody who's actually still in business after having to

1:28:44jump through so many hoops. So we were grateful to you for that. This whole compliance issue,

1:28:50your tax is due tomorrow because you got that extension. But you brought up the point,

1:28:58the health department should know that. Should know that you filed for an extension and that's

1:29:05fine, right? The fact that the health department is not here is also not fine for us to be

1:29:10listening and hearing everything because we have only Yvonne here from the administration

1:29:17to sort of gather all this. But she's commerce. We're talking about LNI, we're talking about

1:29:22the health department, where are they? They should be in this room listening to each one

1:29:27of you. I will make sure they get the transcript of this and the recording from this because

1:29:34it is disrespectful that they're not here. I thank Yvonne for commerce to be here but

1:29:40they're the ones who are setting up these ridiculous kind of hoops you have to jump

1:29:47through and they're not here to actually hear you directly to say how they can mitigate

1:29:53that. So I don't take that lightly, that if you can be here, they can be here. That's

1:30:01a point I want to be very, very clear about. We're all sitting here and people who are

1:30:06causing this trouble from not being creative are not here. So please I'll make a note

1:30:12of that. It just aggravates me that we are trying to make revenue for the city. That's

1:30:20what you're doing. You are paying taxes, you are causing our general fund to be solid.

1:30:27And yet we're not, sorry, but it just makes me so mad to think that everybody's here

1:30:34taking their time out of their business, which as I said time is money, and people

1:30:40who are paid a salary are not here. So point well taken about your particular issue. We're

1:30:48happy to follow up with you if you need any assistance in that particular issue. But

1:30:55you know all of what you've said, common sense. All of what you've said is being collated.

1:31:02This is my data gathering effort to hear directly from you, to take all of what you

1:31:08have said. And the fact that we are still here is commendable. So we need to be very

1:31:17clear that you're doing the work. We need to support you to be able to do the work,

1:31:22earn a living, pay your taxes, and make the city of Philadelphia a creative haven for

1:31:28all of you. You talked about the creative economy. We depend on that. The creative

1:31:34economy is a significant part of our economy. And yet, as you said, artists are sort of

1:31:42second-class citizens here in terms of how you survive. So we hear you. And thank you

1:31:51all. So far every panel has come with recommendations. This is a solution-oriented hearing. This

1:31:56is not just to voice your complaints with no solutions. You've each given us a solution.

1:32:02I'm very grateful for that because we're going to take all of that. And we'll be back

1:32:05in touch with you in order for which ones we can work on and what are the low-hanging

1:32:12fruit here so that you actually have some confidence in your government that we are

1:32:17listening and responding because we need to build that trust as well. You know, as someone

1:32:23said, who is the right person to talk to after navigating a weak space? Who are helpful?

1:32:30It's not that people are not trying to be helpful, but you can't find them. And I think

1:32:35it seems almost like it's on purpose to be, obfuscate you. I hope that's not the case,

1:32:42but that's how it feels from your end and my end. Let me tell you, I have to negotiate

1:32:49the space. I don't want to use I'm City Council, so do this. I want to go the regular route

1:32:54to see what are you experiencing. And I can tell you there's a vast difference and it

1:32:59should not be that vast difference. So this is just a statement for me to be really upset

1:33:05that we don't have all the entities that impact you not being in the room. I needed

1:33:10to go on the record to say that at some point. I'm good. I already said a lot. I yield back.

1:33:21Is there any other questions for this panel? Seeing none, thank you so much for your testimony.

1:33:34Jim, can we please call the next panel to testify? We have Garrett O'Dwyer, Philadelphia

1:33:43Association of Community Development Corporations, Regina Hairston, and I also see Zachary Wilka,

1:33:50if you want to come up too, on behalf of Diverse Chambers Coalition of Philadelphia,

1:33:57Audra Anushinwu, East Falls Development Corporation, and Patrick O'Brien, Northeast Philadelphia

1:34:04Small Business Alliance. Thank you for all being here. And Garrett, if you want to start

1:34:19first and we'll go across, state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.

1:34:22Good afternoon, Chairperson Squilla and members of City Council's Committee on Commerce and

1:34:27Economic Development for the opportunity to offer testimony on the challenges that

1:34:31small businesses and micro businesses continue to face in Philadelphia. My name is Garrett

1:34:35O'Dwyer and I'm the policy director for the Philadelphia Association of Community Development

1:34:40Corporations, or PACDC. I'd like to thank Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmed for sponsoring

1:34:46the resolution to hold this hearing on the challenges small businesses face and the solutions

1:34:51for how we can better meet their needs. PACDC is the leading voice of nonprofit community

1:34:57development organizations in Philadelphia. Our 60 CDC members and over 90 additional

1:35:02associate members are responsible for addressing key economic development, social service,

1:35:08and affordable housing needs across the city. Many of our members play key roles in managing

1:35:14the commercial corridors of their neighborhoods, supporting small businesses, and catalyzing

1:35:18economic growth. We understand that the small businesses of Philadelphia truly are the

1:35:23backbone of our communities. They provide opportunities for wealth building, create

1:35:27neighborhood jobs, and supply important goods and services, and make the places we call

1:35:32home stronger and more vibrant. We are pleased to be able to count the Commerce Department

1:35:37as a true ally in supporting the small business ecosystem in Philadelphia. Dedicated staff

1:35:45provide an array of programs and services aimed at building the capacity of entrepreneurs

1:35:49and making commercial corridors more inviting, dynamic places to shop, enjoy entertainment,

1:35:55and dine. However, significant hurdles still exist to start, sustain, and grow small businesses

1:36:01in Philadelphia. Many small businesses are still adjusting to the altered economic landscape

1:36:06and consumer behavior from the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenges of this transition have been

1:36:13compounded for many commercial corridors by the heavy-handed, too often violent, immigration

1:36:19enforcement actions of the Trump administration. For immigrant-owned businesses or those along

1:36:24corridors with a substantial representation of immigrant-owned businesses, this has led

1:36:29to a drop-off in foot traffic, paying customers, and staffing challenges. For many corridors,

1:36:34there are also persistent problems of trash and crime. The loss of the BERT exemption

1:36:40has made it more costly for smaller businesses as both a matter of expense and compliance.

1:36:45Red assistance programs designed to help businesses harm by the repeal of the exemption, gaps

1:36:51persist and many still struggle to navigate the revenue department and handle back taxes.

1:36:56This speaks to a larger issue of interagency cooperation. While the commerce department

1:37:00has robust services for small businesses, many find it challenging to engage with other

1:37:05departments such as revenue and L&I. We cannot control all of these challenges. We cannot

1:37:10dictate what will come out of Washington, D.C. or control macroeconomic changes. However,

1:37:16a greater investment in the programs and services that work and an insistence on better consistency

1:37:21of customer experience, that is small business owner experience, across city agencies are

1:37:27essential steps that we can work to achieve. Most Philadelphia neighborhoods don't have

1:37:31the same level of resident disposable income compared to other major cities, so it makes

1:37:37sense for local government to play a larger role in supporting them and to reduce the

1:37:41barriers they face if we want independent and local enterprises to continue to be a

1:37:46defining feature and a draw for Philadelphia's identity and culture. The city can also work

1:37:52to better leverage existing opportunities to support new business development. Many

1:37:57commercial corridors have vacant storefronts in which the owner, often an LLC controlled

1:38:02by an out of town investor, has no interest in finding a first floor business tenant.

1:38:07This takes away storefront opportunities from new businesses and hurts the corridor overall.

1:38:12The city should work to find ways to disincentivize this behavior among property owners and to

1:38:17incentivize reuse. In particular, the city could find a way to support a pop-up model

1:38:22that would help local entrepreneurs try out a brick and mortar location at a formerly

1:38:27vacant storefront for the first time and demonstrate proof of concept in their dream

1:38:31business. The city should also consider expanding more intensive and comprehensive technical

1:38:36assistance models like that used by our Strengthen Your Biz Philly program, where the priority

1:38:42is meeting corridor business owners where they are both literally and figuratively.

1:38:46PA CDC, Black Squirrel, and the Temple University Small Business Development Center partner

1:38:52with community-based CDCs that have developed trust in under-invested neighborhoods. Through

1:38:57this program, we are able to bring robust business coaching, workshops, and vetted professional

1:39:02services to small businesses in the community where they operate and in the language that

1:39:06they are comfortable with. This multi-pronged and collaborative approach provides business

1:39:11owners who are less likely to access traditional TA services the high-quality and individualized

1:39:17support they deserve and ensures that these services reflect a commitment to equity in

1:39:22our approach to small business support. Additionally, Philadelphia's neighborhood street festivals,

1:39:28often organized by CDCs or business improvement districts, create opportunities to showcase

1:39:33corridors and local businesses, and provide very small and upstart merchant vendors with

1:39:37a chance to build their brand and name recognition. However, the fundamental economics for these

1:39:42festivals are increasingly challenging given the cost that the city imposes on organizers.

1:39:48These costs make it harder to produce these events and more expensive for merchants to

1:39:52participate in them. We must do more to reduce barriers to holding these events and leverage

1:39:57them as opportunities to support new entrepreneurs. While we consider ways to help small businesses

1:40:03get started, we must also look to how we can better support existing and legacy small

1:40:08businesses. For many of these businesses, longevity bred from success exposes them

1:40:13to new challenges, especially when their community faces gentrification and development pressures.

1:40:19We do not currently provide protections or assistance for small businesses related to

1:40:24predatory lease terms, drastic rent increases, or absentee landlords who refuse to adequately

1:40:30maintain their properties. In addition, a number of cities have implemented programs

1:40:37to support legacy businesses and communities at risk of displacement. These have included

1:40:42help with acquiring or improving the property where they are located and assistance with

1:40:46succession planning, both of which are strategies the Commerce Department has begun to explore

1:40:50with some early success. The Philadelphia identity at a neighborhood and city-wide

1:40:54level is deeply intertwined with those small businesses that are central to the experience

1:40:59of residents and visitors, central to what it means to be part of a place. We must do

1:41:05more to protect these spaces before they are lost for good. We have much to be proud

1:41:09of in Philadelphia, and there has been a lot of great work done in partnership between

1:41:13the city, business technical assistance providers like LISC, the Merchants' Fund, PACDC,

1:41:18and small business owners. There is more we can do to ensure our micro and small business

1:41:23ecosystem contributes to a stronger Philadelphia. We look forward to continuing to work together

1:41:30to see that through. Thank you again for convening this hearing and for allowing me

1:41:34the opportunity to offer testimony.

1:41:40Thank you. Please state your name or pursue your testimony.

1:41:45Good afternoon to the distinguished members of Council. My name is Reginae Harrison,

1:41:50President and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce, speaking on behalf of

1:41:54the Diverse Chambers Coalition of Philadelphia. The Diverse Chambers Coalition of Philadelphia

1:42:00is in support of the intent of Resolution number 260552 and Council's examination

1:42:06of the licensing, permitting, and market access requirements affecting micro-businesses

1:42:12in Philadelphia. As recognized in the resolution, a micro-business is generally understood

1:42:18to be a business employing fewer than 10 people, generating modest annual revenue,

1:42:24and often operating without a permanent storefront. Just for the record and so that is clear

1:42:30for the African-American Chamber of Businesses, 91% of those businesses are considered micro-businesses

1:42:37because they do not have any employees. So only 9% of black businesses in the city of

1:42:43Philadelphia actually have an employee. These businesses include sole proprietors, independent

1:42:50service providers, home-based businesses, market vendors, and mobile food operators.

1:42:56While their business models vary, their size and limited administrative capacity can make

1:43:01compliance with multiple regulatory requirements particularly challenging. The coalition represents

1:43:08chambers of commerce whose members operate businesses at various stages of development.

1:43:14Through our direct engagement with entrepreneurs, we recognize that the cumulative cost and

1:43:19administrative requirements associated with starting a business can create significant

1:43:24barriers before an enterprise generates sufficient revenue to sustain operations. We believe

1:43:31this hearing should identify practical opportunities to simplify these requirements, improve coordination

1:43:37among city agencies, and establish a more accessible pathway for micro-businesses to

1:43:42enter the marketplace and grow while maintaining appropriate health, safety and consumer protections.

1:43:50Although resolution number 260552 focused substantially on pop-ups and market vendors,

1:43:59the review should include other micro-businesses facing similar barriers. Home-based food preparation

1:44:04and production businesses, for example, must navigate licensing, zoning, health, and permitting

1:44:10requirements that may affect their ability to operate legally and eventually expand

1:44:15to commercial facilities. The coalition recommends examining whether these requirements are

1:44:22clearly communicated, appropriately coordinated, and responsive to the nature and scale of

1:44:28these operations. Food trucks and other mobile food businesses also face restrictions affecting

1:44:34where they may legally operate. These restrictions directly influence market access, customer

1:44:41reach, and the ability to establish sustainable operations. Philadelphia's food industry

1:44:47is an important economic asset and its regulatory framework should support the reasonable development

1:44:53of new businesses. The coalition recommends a comprehensive assessment of Philadelphia's

1:44:58food truck framework, including geographic restrictions, permitting requirements, enforcement

1:45:05practices, and the impact on commercial corridors and surrounding communities. That assessment

1:45:11should inform a citywide management strategy establishing clear operating standards and

1:45:16identifying appropriate opportunities for expansion. More broadly, micro-businesses

1:45:21may be required to obtain approvals from multiple city agencies before convincing operations.

1:45:29Depending on the business activity, these requirements may involve the Department of

1:45:33Revenue, Department of Licenses and Inspections, Department of Public Health, Streets Departments,

1:45:38and other -- Streets Department and other agencies. Market vendors may also inquire

1:45:43separate application -- incur separate application and participation fees charged by event organizers.

1:45:50The cumulative cost, processing time, and administrative complexity of these requirements

1:45:55can present substantial challenges for businesses with limited financial and operational resources.

1:46:01The coalition recommends examining opportunities to eliminate duplicative processes, improve

1:46:08interagency coordination, and ensure that licensing requirements are proportionate

1:46:13to the nature and scale of business operation. Philadelphia currently offers temporary and

1:46:18annual special event permits. The coalition recommends reviewing whether the existing

1:46:24permitting structure adequately serves entrepreneurs participating in multiple markets throughout

1:46:29the year, including whether application procedures, fees, and relative approvals can be simplified.

1:46:36Councils should also examine whether existing vendor credentials can be recognized across

1:46:41multiple approved markets and events without compromising applicable public health and

1:46:47safety requirements. Business tax compliance is another consideration affecting micro-businesses.

1:46:54Beginning with tax year 2025, Philadelphia eliminated the 100,000 business income receipts

1:47:00tax exemption. Consequently, businesses that previously qualified for the exemption are

1:47:05now subject to BERT following requirements and any applicable tax liability. For micro-businesses

1:47:12operating with limited working capital, these additional obligations can present financial

1:47:17and administrative challenges. The coalition recognizes that the city has existing payment

1:47:22agreement programs and has provided certain estimated payment accommodations for newly

1:47:28affected businesses. We recommend that the Department of Revenue evaluate whether these

1:47:33measures adequately address the circumstances of micro-businesses, particularly those filing

1:47:39and paying BERT for the first time. This review should include consideration of interest-free

1:47:44installment options, reasonable repayment periods, simplified enrollment procedures,

1:47:50and additional penalty relief for qualifying first-time filers. This measure would support

1:47:56compliance while allowing businesses to retain the working capital necessary to sustain

1:48:01their operations, and of course we support any effort to bring the exemption back. Finally,

1:48:07the city should examine how existing business assistance resources support entrepreneurs

1:48:13during the transition from startup to sustain operations. Philadelphia already provides

1:48:18licensing guidance, online permitting tools, and direct business assistance. However, the

1:48:24availability of these resources does not necessarily ensure that entrepreneurs can

1:48:29easily identify and navigate the requirements applicable to their businesses. The coalition

1:48:36recommends evaluating how existing resources can better be coordinated into a clear micro-business

1:48:42specific process, identifying applicable licenses, permits tax obligations, reasonable responsible

1:48:51city agents, and available assistance. This would provide entrepreneurs with a more predictable

1:48:56process for establishing operations and pursuing growth. Based on these considerations, the

1:49:03Diverse Chambers Coalition respectfully recommend council and the administration improve coordination

1:49:09of licensing and permitting requirements, review existing temporary and annual food

1:49:16permitting requirements, conduct a comprehensive assessment of Philadelphia's food truck regulations,

1:49:23evaluate and strengthen existing payment arrangements, improve access to existing

1:49:28city business assistance resources. Micro-businesses are an important component of Philadelphia's

1:49:34economy and a source of future employers, commercial tenants, and suppliers. Some will

1:49:40remain small by choice while others will expand into larger enterprises. Their ability to

1:49:46enter the marketplace and grow depends in part on a regulatory system that is understandable,

1:49:53consistent, and proponent to the nature of their operations. Resolution 260552 provides

1:49:59council with an opportunity to assess that system and identify practical reforms that

1:50:04support business development while maintaining appropriate regulatory standards.

1:50:09The Diverse Chambers Coalition of Philadelphia appreciates the opportunity to submit this

1:50:16testimony and welcomes continued engagement with the committee and the administration

1:50:21as recommendations are developed. Thank you for this opportunity.

1:50:29Thank you. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.

1:50:34Good afternoon. Good afternoon, council members, and thank you so much, council member. I've

1:50:41met for your leadership on this. My name is Audra Ancion. I am a small business owner

1:50:49and I'm a board member on the East Falls Development Corporation and I'm also the

1:50:53president of the East Falls Business Association. Through my experience as a business owner

1:50:58and through my work with other local businesses, I have seen firsthand both the incredible

1:51:05potential of our entrepreneurs as well as the barriers that we face. I am here today

1:51:12to advocate for creating a clearer -- everyone has said this -- more accessible, accessible

1:51:20pathway for vendors, for pop-up businesses, and other small business entrepreneurs who

1:51:26are ready to take the step and establish a permanent home in brick and mortar locations.

1:51:33Many of these businesses have already demonstrated that there is a market for what they offer.

1:51:38They have built customers. They have tested their products, participated in community

1:51:41events and even generated revenue often times while operating with very limited resources.

1:51:49The challenge comes in when they are ready to scale, right? If you're dealing with it

1:51:55at a pop-up level, you know, at a table level, you know, it becomes even more challenging,

1:52:03you know, trying to scale. The process of moving from a pop-up table vendor store front

1:52:09can be extremely difficult to navigate. One of the biggest barriers is the lack of clear

1:52:15step-by-step road map. Everyone has said it. Business owners are often sent from one

1:52:20city office to another receiving information from multiple departments that may not always

1:52:25be consistent. I've been there. Requirements, processes, timelines and points of contact

1:52:31can be difficult to understand. A business owner may receive one set of instructions

1:52:36from one office and something different from another. And when there is a delay, as we've

1:52:42heard a question or a problem, there isn't always an entity or designated person who

1:52:47can say here I am to help you, here's what you need to do next. That gap can be devastating

1:52:55for a small business owner. Entrepreneurs are expected to understand zoning, permits,

1:53:00license and inspection, construction requirements, taxes, finance and insurance and other regulations,

1:53:05all while simultaneously trying to run our businesses. For a large corporation, navigate

1:53:11multiple government departments may simply be just the cost of doing business. For a

1:53:16small entrepreneur, it can mean a difference between opening or closing. Funding is another

1:53:23significant problem. Many entrepreneurs have proven concepts but don't have the capital

1:53:28necessary to make the transition. Traditional financing can be difficult for us to obtain

1:53:35for startups and businesses without collateral and great credit history. We need to recognize

1:53:41that these businesses, our businesses, are not just vendors. They are potential storefront

1:53:47owners, employers, taxpayers, community anchors and future contributors to the city's commerce

1:53:53corridors. So I am asking City Council to consider a small business pathway to brick

1:54:00and mortar initiative that will make the process more transparent and accessible.

1:54:05These things would include a single point of contact. Everybody has said that we are

1:54:09fortunate to have that with commerce. I know who our commerce liaison is. I can call him

1:54:14if there's an issue or problem. Like Councilmember Amah, I am extremely disappointed that the

1:54:20other departments aren't here. I was looking forward to getting cards, to connecting,

1:54:24to having a resource. A clear step-by-step roadmap and we know businesses are complicated.

1:54:32Different businesses need different things but some things should be able to be streamlined.

1:54:37Consistent information across departments so that entrepreneurs aren't receiving conflicting

1:54:42information so now we're wasting more time because we've gone somewhere and now we've

1:54:46got to circle back. Again, a coordinated system for permits, licensing, zoning inspections

1:54:52and approvals, reducing unnecessary time spent on our parts. A dedicated funding and

1:55:00grant pipeline. There's so many programs and there's been some represented here, some

1:55:05mentioned that exist to support small businesses. A lot of programming, the funding is most

1:55:13of it is heavy on the administrative side. Not enough is going directly in the hands

1:55:19and the accounts of the business owners. We need more resources to help the small businesses.

1:55:25Technical assistance and workshops that educate our entrepreneurs on these specific processes.

1:55:32There should be, the YouTube thing was great. There should be videos. There should be courties.

1:55:38There's hosts, coffee and commerce. Where are the other departments? Once again, I'm

1:55:44doing similar types of things. Most importantly, I believe that the need to change the question

1:55:49from what does the business owner need from the city to how can the city help this business

1:55:54owners become successful. Our entrepreneurs should not have to be experts in city government

1:56:02or become, to become successful business owners. If we want that thriving commercial

1:56:07corridors, vibrant communities and locally owned businesses, we have to create a system

1:56:13that helps entrepreneurs grow. Not one that unintentionally creates barriers at every

1:56:19stage. The businesses sitting at vendor tables and participating in pop ups today could

1:56:25be tomorrow's restaurants, retail stores and we need them in these falls. We need

1:56:30retail. Salons, studios and neighborhood institutions. Let's give them a clear path.

1:56:36We must eliminate. We must eliminate the unnecessary confusion by coordination, consistency,

1:56:42transparency and support. Entrepreneurs, we are the backbone of the city. We contribute

1:56:49significantly to the economy. Therefore we need to make the path from table and storefront

1:56:54to storefront easier to understand and clearer to navigate. Thank you for your time and

1:56:59for your commitment to creating an environment where small businesses can not only start

1:57:04but grow and thrive. Thank you. I think we have a couple more panels, or not panels,

1:57:12a couple more testifiers. Is it Pat O'Brien or? Yes, thank you. Mr. Brunch, please take

1:57:33your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. I'm Patrick O'Brien. I'm

1:57:40a founding member and the Chief Operating Officer of the Northeast Philadelphia Small

1:57:45Business Alliance. I'm also the primary developer of a new. I'm also the primary author of

1:57:57a new vision we have called Small Business Forward that we will be launching November

1:58:034th, but that has led to me to personally acknowledge Dr. Ahmad for calling for this

1:58:13hearing. It's ahead of what we were trying to do, but this is very critical and we were

1:58:19hoping that this will create more public hearings on the process of starting micro

1:58:26businesses or pop-ups in Philadelphia. The Alliance was encouraged Mayor Sherrell Parker

1:58:34saw the need for new revenue in this year's budget proposal, but we are extremely grateful

1:58:40Philadelphia City Council showed the collective courage to reject the proposals that would

1:58:46have placed additional burdens on working families and the small businesses through

1:58:51regressive taxation. Our organization represents 1,800 small businesses. Unfortunately, Philadelphia

1:59:02is still left with an impending budget deficit. Millions in federal grants have been lost.

1:59:07Pennsylvania is facing a $9 billion deficit by 2029 and Philadelphia needs to address

1:59:13the challenge responsibly. It is essential that our city leadership come up with long-term

1:59:20revenue solutions. We urge City Council and Mayor Parker to pursue creative, bold and

1:59:26equitable solutions to generate additional dollars our city needs while protecting the

1:59:32small businesses that can least afford additional financial strain. The work of governing does

1:59:40not end when a budget is passed. It continues through the difficult task of building policies

1:59:48that boost small businesses, invest in our neighborhoods, and create opportunity for

1:59:52all Philadelphians. The Alliance remains ready to work alongside Mayor Parker and particularly

1:59:58with you, City Council.

2:00:00We are here today to open discussion on one fact. The Department of Commerce and PIDC can tell you how many corridors they sweep and how many billions they invest.

2:00:21But they cannot tell City Council, they cannot provide you with a list of which licensed firms on South Street, Point Breeze Avenue, Hunting Park Avenue, Germantown. You get the idea.

2:00:36Which ones of those businesses received financial support last year and which were denied because they were one block off an eligible map.

2:00:46The numbers are confusing. In calendar 2025, Commerce published 13.1 million of grants and forgivable loans to 640-plus businesses and 42.3 million to 210-plus community partners.

2:01:04Storefront improvement remains the number one program. It's reached over 1,000-plus firms and 8.57 million over its life, but only on designated corridors.

2:01:18Taking care of business grew from 40 corridors to 179, but that number is brooms, not working capital.

2:01:30PIDC's 2024 revenue stated $1.4 billion of investment. Small business loans that year were only $13.8 million, less than 10%. In 2025, the headline was $388 million. Small business loans were $14.2 million, which is less than 4%.

2:02:02And PDIC's own small business grants were a mere $337,000.

2:02:08Every council district received investment. That sentence can be true in their reports because of a bond or playground grant.

2:02:17It is not an answer about a mom-and-pop shop on Germantown Avenue.

2:02:22The Northeast test. Northeast Philadelphia is where city-wide averages hide the gap. Caster and Frankfurt are in the in-store list, but individual storefront rebates show up on those streets in CDBG quarterlies.

2:02:40Commerce sent $264,000 to 25 firms after the Northeast plane crash, an average of $10,000.

2:02:50But none of that is a table of applications, awards, and off-block denials for the other zip codes.

2:03:03Pew, the Pew Trust, has already told commerce, and PIDC, where immigrant-owned firms cluster, and the Northeast is a typical example.

2:03:15Unfortunately, council is still not provided with vision to whether these firms are in the grant file.

2:03:24You simply do not know what you do not know.

2:03:28You're not being provided the education and information from these departments.

2:03:38We ask council to pass an award extract ordinance. By March 31st each year, Commerce and PDC should provide a program, firm, dollars, district, award, corridor, flag, award it, or deny it, and why deny a dataset to you.

2:04:00There's something called open data filly that already has a storefront disbursement dataset. They can use it and expand it to include all grant programs, not just storefront improvement.

2:04:12Second, fund the partners who already sit with these business owners.

2:04:18Create operating grants directly managed by city council.

2:04:24For qualified small business membership and advocacy organizations, many who you've heard from today, our small business alliance would look for a quarterly corridor report to council.

2:04:44Do not simply pay organizations to sweep sidewalks. Do not make them a substitute for catalyst.

2:04:52Make them the reason the small business forward roadmaps and initiatives are implemented.

2:04:57We have a great deal of information available for your review as we said we were going to release on November 5th.

2:05:06We've done a significant amount of commerce analysis, PIDC analysis, charts.

2:05:15We've drafted some ordinances. We've done a gap report.

2:05:20We've done zip code addendums, and we've looked at an operating grant design as a comprehensive roadmap package.

2:05:29The work left is yours. Please require these data files.

2:05:34Mandate reporting and accountability, provide oversight, and fund the people who will walk the corridors with you.

2:05:42Thank you for your time and attention today.

2:05:48Thank you, panel.

2:05:49Everybody, we're good? Okay.

2:05:53Before I recognize Member Ahmed, I want to thank this entire panel, and all the other panels as well.

2:05:58We've certainly heard a lot of frustration from the small business community.

2:06:03I at one time was a small business owner, and I experienced that.

2:06:07And that's going back like pretty easier access computers, texting, cell phones, you name it.

2:06:15And you would think that we would have gotten better at it.

2:06:20And from what I think we're hearing today, we haven't gotten better.

2:06:23And we apologize.

2:06:24I know we have wonderful city workers that are trying their best, but I think sometimes we're too siloed.

2:06:33And if I've heard anything today, we need the departments to work together, and we have to simplify this process.

2:06:39So with that, I'll recognize Member Ahmed.

2:06:42Thank you so much, Council Member Driscoll, now acting chair.

2:06:49I just wanted to say thank you to all of you.

2:06:52And because time is short, I'm just going to launch into a few questions.

2:06:56I just want to piggyback on our last witness who talked about accountability and transparency is really at the base of what you're saying, right?

2:07:07And I do think the more sunshine we have in this spaces, the better decisions we can make because we see the real data, what is actually happening.

2:07:16And I hear you about taking care of business and the broom issue and how having direct investment can yield far more.

2:07:28I mean, those are, you know, cleaning up and all of that is important.

2:07:32But if those dollars can be leveraged differently to allow the entrepreneur, the business owner to make business decisions that they know better than us who are granting those dollars, I think I hear you.

2:07:47I think that we have to figure out a way where this ecosystem is part of the conversation, not just the massive big corporations and businesses that, as you mentioned, some of our organizations seem to deal with, right?

2:08:07So this layer is missing, like who looks after this layer? You know, we don't have, and we need to have a very clear mandate to do that.

2:08:18And that's what I'm hearing from all of you given, you know, the president of the African American Chamber told me 91% of your businesses are single sole owners, right?

2:08:31That means the rate of growth that we need is impeded. It doesn't mean they're not working hard, which is working very hard, and how you make that next step to the transition of building your business.

2:08:47And as I mentioned earlier, wealth building is at the bottom of this, how my colleague, Jamie Gotts here, who had to leave, mentioned how do we get out of the list top 10 poorest cities?

2:08:59This is where that ecosystem that you all inhabit has to be taken seriously and has to have pathways for direct investment in you.

2:09:09And it's not just government, right? Because you know, we are limited by how much revenue we have been able to gather to be able to give you the services.

2:09:21We have other ecosystems that can connect with us. We can have a lot more conversations with our bigger corporations and, you know, our philanthropic sector.

2:09:34We can have real public private conversations around this space that can shore you up, and then you can go into the next level and you won't need it, right?

2:09:45So I don't know that we have really given this space a lot of thought outside of just making sure that you can get your answers quickly.

2:09:54That's very important. But more than that, how much do we value you?

2:09:58As Jamie had mentioned, you know, 20-year abatements, 10-year abatements seem to be a much more ready conversation.

2:10:07What sort of abatements are we talking about with your sector, with your layer of the ecosystem?

2:10:14I think there's ways to think creatively about that without sacrificing revenue.

2:10:19I think the biggest fear for us to make changes is how are you going to fill that gap?

2:10:24If we give you stuff and you don't have to pay taxes or we reduce it, how are you going to fill that gap?

2:10:32And I think we need to make that real equation about saying if we put in here, what goes up here?

2:10:40How real is that? And that's where, you know, looking at good models outside of our city is really important.

2:10:47So I thank you very much for all this testimony.

2:10:50I wanted to thank Mr. Wilka here, who's here along with Regina's supporting our chambers, our diverse chambers.

2:11:00Quick question to Garrett about when you talked about open, you know, first floor buildings that are empty with out-of-town owners.

2:11:13How did you envision that? Like how would we work to take a private owner of a private building to lease out or do some arrangement to have pop-ups in that space?

2:11:29So I think that it would be a carrot and stick approach and exactly what the stick, the disincentive looks like.

2:11:36And we've dealt with a lot of challenges in trying to get whether it's vacant property owners or folks who are, you know, maybe just leaving their storefront vacant to actually try to get them to do the right thing for whether it's a commercial port or the broader community.

2:11:53And so I think that we need to do more to explore what those could look like.

2:11:59But then on the other side, we also need to provide some kind of incentives.

2:12:04You know, the way that if we were to do a kind of a pop-up model, like I was describing, those would be perhaps very short-term leases.

2:12:12And we would need to make sure that the property owner was comfortable with that arrangement.

2:12:18So what it would precisely look like, I don't know, and it could be different in different contexts.

2:12:24But certainly we need to do more to stop the bad behavior in addition to determining what a kind of a best case scenario is.

2:12:38Now, additionally, we can also, we do have CDCs and other community-based organizations that we can do more to support buying property on commercial corridors that have ground floor commercial storefronts, upstairs residential when we're having broader conversations about the home initiative and the affordable housing crisis here in Philadelphia.

2:13:01These can be opportunities to create real affordability, residentially upstairs, as well as affordable commercial space downstairs that we could have a network of pop-up opportunities that folks that are ready to make that transition from maybe a merchant vendor at a food festival to actually having their own brick and mortar location.

2:13:24We could have different opportunities around the city that are owned and managed by community development corporations to be able to host that.

2:13:33So that would be another approach.

2:13:35Thank you, thank you.

2:13:36And, you know, I hear you about the East Falls CDC who's here.

2:13:43Thank you, Audra.

2:13:45You were asking for a small business pathway to bricks and mortar with the LECA navigator.

2:13:50And I heard this navigator conversation across the board.

2:13:54Somebody who will help you instead of having to call ten different and then get no answer and wait.

2:14:02We hear you on that.

2:14:03These are all great ideas.

2:14:05It's execution and reallocation of some resources potentially without having to incur new costs.

2:14:13But that means we have to, like Pat O'Brien talked about, to look at clearly what is happening and where the dollars are going in order to reallocate dollars for something like a navigator.

2:14:25So thank you for that, you know, input.

2:14:28We're going to take all of this seriously and look at it.

2:14:31So I wanted to thank all of you and I'm done with questions because we need to go to our public comments.

2:14:38Thank you, panel.

2:14:39The clerk will please call the next panel to testify on this resolution.

2:14:46There are no additional panels.

2:14:48Great, great.

2:14:50And seeing no additional questions or comments from members of the committee, for the witnesses, hearing none, we will now transition to our public comment session.

2:15:01Please note that the time limit for each speaker is two minutes.

2:15:05Mr. Sham, will you please call the first speaker for public comment?

2:15:09The first speaker on the public comment list is John D. Harrell, and then we also have two members from CMAC that they're here.

2:15:18We have Arnett Woodall, and then Jennifer Horton, Natalia Cardona Sanchez, Amari Abbrou.

2:16:10Okay, I've reminded each testimony we're going to adhere to a strict two-minute limit.

2:16:27We do want to hear from it.

2:16:30And with that, from left to right, please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.

2:16:35Good afternoon.

2:16:41Good afternoon, Councilmembers.

2:16:43My name is Dominic Brennan.

2:16:45Thank you so much, Councilmember Ahmed, for convening this really important public hearing.

2:16:50Thank you, Councilman Driscoll, as well.

2:16:52As I mentioned, my name is Dominic Brennan.

2:16:54I'm the community building coordinator at CMAC.

2:16:56We're a non-profit in South Philadelphia.

2:16:58In its role, I work with businesses on the South 7th Street commercial corridor, many of whom are first-generation immigrants.

2:17:05The South 7th Street commercial corridor currently has 77 stores,

2:17:10representing as many as 16 languages and dialects and 14 different ethnicities.

2:17:15I'd like to use my time today to speak on behalf of some of our store owners,

2:17:20one of whom is Ume Salma, who up until recently ran our 78th business on the corridor.

2:17:29We were going to have another store owner join today, but they're running their business.

2:17:33I first met with Salma in April of 2024 when she began renting the bottom floor of business on the 2300 block of South 7th Street.

2:17:43A Burmese refugee by way of Thailand, Salma has no stranger to bureaucracy.

2:17:47However, the property needed a lot of renovation in order to open.

2:17:52She was able to open by August 1st, 2025.

2:17:55Her store was Sofia Halal Meat Market.

2:17:58In that intervening year, she had a series of issues with permitting.

2:18:02She had multiple submissions for plumbing, electrical, zoning,

2:18:06and needed to hire consultants for all of them.

2:18:09She had to hire a plumbing consultant or an architectural consultant all to file these.

2:18:16All of this cost her and her family a lot of money,

2:18:19in addition to all of the rent that she was paying this entire time.

2:18:23I think that all of this could have been solved if, as we mentioned today, if there is a clear navigation system and an in-language navigation system.

2:18:34Once she ultimately opened the business, it took her about six months to get her EBT processing application approved.

2:18:43Of course, that will be a different channel than City Council could do.

2:18:47As we discussed last week at the affordability hearing, 75% of sales for businesses on the 7th Street corridor go through EBT.

2:19:00That six months was really difficult for her, and her store was no exception.

2:19:07This past June, a small fire broke out in her business,

2:19:11and she took that as a sign that she just wasn't cut out to be a business owner.

2:19:15So, although I'm incredibly thankful for the many programs that the Commerce Department has available and that CMAC partners with,

2:19:23and I'm really thankful for the willingness of City Council to think creatively about how we can support our small businesses,

2:19:31and how we can support our immigrant community,

2:19:34I believe that we should have additional supports for interpretation and, like I said,

2:19:39the in-language navigation and additional funding from the City or directly to small businesses

2:19:47and to organizations like CMAC for outreach staff to assist in that particularly risky start-up moment.

2:19:58I think that that initial phase is really difficult for businesses.

2:20:03There's a lot of funding for the second year, the third year of business, but that start-up phase is really difficult for a lot of businesses.

2:20:12Lastly, we mentioned earlier Deputy Commissioner Boy mentioned that so many of our vendors start doing pop-ups in parks,

2:20:20and a lot of our vendors at FDR now started at Milton Square Park, very close to the 7th Street corridor.

2:20:26By bringing vending back to our local parks, it is not only good for the economic engine,

2:20:33it's also good for the social engine of our neighborhoods and creates a community that works for everyone.

2:20:37So, thank you both for your time. I really appreciate it.

2:20:43Please take your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.

2:20:48Arnette Woodall, I'm the owner and builder of West Philadelphia Produce. I've now been open, I'm also a University of Penn scholar.

2:21:05West Philadelphia Produce has now been open 18 years. We've been at that location 22 years.

2:21:13As a consultant, I was asked to come to this lot that was a drug lot that all the heroin and crack was being sold at.

2:21:24Before you had Kensington, it was under the L at my location.

2:21:29West Philadelphia Produce was built from the ground up by 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 year olds.

2:21:39We've pandemic proven, concept proven, we've saved more lives in the city of Philadelphia than any business, big or small, that you have.

2:21:53We've had to do all of this unsupported by the city, no funding, no help whatsoever.

2:22:02Now we have small businesses from around the country and from around Philadelphia asking us to help them do the same thing that we've done.

2:22:14We have a 46% reduction in crime, drug sales, and violence. The White House has reached out to us. As you'll see in that document, we have other municipalities asking us to come to their city.

2:22:36Currently right now, I have six cities, three countries asking me to leave the city of Philadelphia. I'm still here right now because I have a delegation of small business owners that ask for my help and want my help.

2:22:54I can't give them my help because I'm not getting any help from anyone, the Commerce Departments. We wrote documents as a consultant for City Hall.

2:23:09Councilwoman Janie Blackwell is how West Philadelphia Produce was formed and created. She asked me to meet her there. She showed me the needles. She asked me how to fix it.

2:23:25I asked her if I fix it, will I get the support of the city? I still to this day haven't gotten any support.

2:23:36Right now, West Philadelphia Produce is on the sheriff's cell list because the city refuses to give me my tax abatement. Ten years.

2:23:50So I'm asking for my 10 year tax abatement still to this day. Reduce the 10 years, give me the balance of what's old, and I'll pay you.

2:24:03One of the businesses that we have, you have incarcerated that are home now, that are looking for businesses trying to keep and create businesses.

2:24:18That's Aline Lonnie Dawson over there, and that's Nathaniel Yaya Swint. One of them just did 43 years, the other one did 28 years.

2:24:29When they come back, they have no one to go to. They come to me across the city. I've hired more youth across the city than any business that you have in the city, big or small.

2:24:46You'll see it on ABC 6, Community Hometown Hero. I'm partnered with John Dye here. John Dye and I have fed more people across the city of Philadelphia than any from a former drug location.

2:25:07I now sell and give away more produce than the narcoes. I've given away over 100,000 tonnage of food. Your commercial corridors need to be revamped through the commerce department.

2:25:23They don't work, and they don't work for small businesses. If you have been number one big city in poverty for 18 years, and number two now, the 19th year, something wrong.

2:25:40And you can see that something is wrong. We need to fix it. Thank you.

2:25:46If you need proof of concept, these were not given to me or presented to me, but I have all the proof of concept. One more thing I'd like to say.

2:25:59An organization cloned me and came down here to City Council and was given a citation. There's two citations that say Community Solution. Both of them have my face on them, but only one of them's mine.

2:26:20One corporation, one entity is mine. You have a copy of this citation in their booklet. Both of these organizations have my face on them.

2:26:33The one that was honored was honored here in City Hall. It's not my organization. It just has my face on it.

2:26:44I've been unsupported and ignored since I brought this to everyone's attention on the commerce department's website. You'll see my face on there too.

2:26:56My name is Arnette Woodall, but you'll see on the City of Philadelphia's website, my name is Ted Smith. I need help fixing this. I would like for this citation given to this phony organization to be disqualified or whatever.

2:27:21But I'd like an investigation on how they even got this citation with my face on their website, with my face on the City of Philadelphia's website.

2:27:34Thank you. Everything's in there. If you need more information, my team and I are ready and willing to give it to you. But we have done all the work.

2:27:47Thank you for providing us, and we're going to move on here. Please take your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.

2:27:54Good afternoon, council members, and all in attendance, and thank you to the Office of Councilperson Nina Ahmad for the opportunity to speak here today.

2:28:08My name is Jean de Harrell, and I'm the executive director of the TCRC Community Healing Center Food Distribution. I'm here to ask for your support in helping Philadelphia small food businesses grow, especially businesses that feed Philly families.

2:28:25TCRC and all small businesses are in need of capital. Everything else flows from that. Since 2020, TCRC has fed thousands of families throughout Philadelphia every month.

2:28:42We procure and distribute food from adjacent counties and three neighboring states. We supply food pantries who are not fully serviced by the three major food suppliers and are in need of food.

2:28:55There are literally hundreds of small food pantries who need to be organized, standardized, and incorporated so that food distribution in Philadelphia could be improved.

2:29:08The Philly Food Coalition, which we're organizing, could be the answer to this dilemma. A diverse coalition could raise funds to help with the crushing expense of diesel, which powers our refrigerated food trucks.

2:29:24We pay tolls, our truck drivers, trainees, we supervise volunteers, transport, and also purchase food. We have five staff, seven trainees, and 47 volunteers. We operate mobile food distributions and pop-up food giveaways across the city.

2:29:46However, we are truly in need of dedicated warehouse space and refrigeration units. Many times we can go far away to acquire food, but we can't distribute it on the same day, and we are currently storing it in refrigerated food trucks, but we need warehouse space.

2:30:08We also need additional trucks to transport more food efficiently, and also to bill revenue by transporting freight from state to state. So, the city of Philadelphia could assist us by funding through specific grants and forgivable loans that are earmarked for small businesses.

2:30:30Also, many of the food pantries that we help to service need to have legal and accounting support so that they can set up business tax accounts, commercial activity licenses, city and state, federal taxes, and workers' compensation.

2:30:48But most of all, these small food businesses need workers. If we could plug into the workforce programs and supply youth to work in these food pantries, then that would solve many problems.

2:31:06If we could get youth off the street, it would attack the problem of violence in the streets, and it would also help these food distributions because it would bring youthful energy. Most of our volunteers are elderly.

2:31:25In fact, we work with Maturity Works, which pays our elderly volunteers and turns them from volunteers to trainees. But they're in their 50s, late 50s, 60s and 70s. Bringing youth to these organizations would really assist us.

2:31:45So I'd like to ask City Council to support us in practical ways. Financing, a compliance assistance, and workforce pathways for small businesses, and to consider our approach, the TCRC method of bringing it all together and working as a coalition that could create jobs and meet the needs of our population. Thank you.

2:32:11Thank you. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.

2:32:18Good afternoon, Councilmember Nina Ahmad, members of the committee, and all the small businesses in this room today. Thank you, Dr. Ahmad, for mentioning that L&I and the Health Department are not here today. It is very important that they need to be here and part of our issues.

2:32:39I am Jennifer Hunt Horton from Fifth of a Farm Creations. Established in 2011, my husband, Steve Horton, and I own and operate a culinary micro enterprise in Philadelphia, making jams, jellies, marmalades, and chutneys.

2:32:53We make all of our products in kitchen corners, a shared kitchen in the Oxford Circle neighborhood. Since we do not have a standalone brick and mortar location, we sell our products at various farmers markets, special events, and retailers.

2:33:08We are licensed by L&I as a food establishment, retail, non-permanent location.

2:33:14As a food business in Pennsylvania and in Philadelphia, we are regulated by three different agencies, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the City of Philadelphia Licenses and Inspections, L&I, and the City Health Department.

2:33:28The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture stipulates from the Food Safety Act of 2010 that every person operating a food establishment within this commonwealth to register with the department.

2:33:40Food establishments must comply with local jurisdiction regulations.

2:33:44The initial application process and subsequent annual renewal is seamless and user friendly. Each year we receive the food established registration renewal in the mail, pay the $35 fee, and schedule an inspection at our shared kitchen.

2:33:59The City of Philadelphia regulations are not as seamless as the state. We are regulated by both L&I and the Department of Health.

2:34:06L&I eclipse.filla.gov website is user friendly and easy to navigate. The business license dashboard portal makes it easy to apply, renew, or amend a business license.

2:34:21Payments can be made online. The license is available to download by clicking on a link, and we've been using this website since 2018.

2:34:28The City Health Department is not user friendly. The website, designed as information only, is difficult to navigate and to get specific answers.

2:34:39For a retail, non-permanent location food business, like ours, there is no consistent license.

2:34:46You have three options to choose from. A stationary food business, a mobile food business, or permanent special events.

2:34:53Payments must only be made by U.S. Postal Service money order. There is no business portal to apply, renew, or amend a business license, and no option to pay online.

2:35:05That's easy to do.

2:35:09In addition to the licensure issue, food business managers and other employees must be ServSafe certified by the National Restaurant Association.

2:35:19The City Health Department issues its own personnel food safety certificate to each individual at a cost of $30.

2:35:28This is totally unnecessary. Why certify a nationally recognized ServSafe certification?

2:35:34In closing, I'd like to recommend the following. Establish an ongoing micro business advisory committee to continue the conversation beyond today's hearing.

2:35:44For the City of Philadelphia Department of Health, utilizing the L&I eclipse.filla.gov website as a guide, develop a similar business portal and dashboard.

2:35:55Develop a consistent mobile food business license, recognize the National Restaurant Association ServSafe certification, and eliminate the City of Philadelphia personnel food safety certificate.

2:36:07Thank you Councilmember Nina Ahmad and members of the committee for collaborating with micro business owners on ways to improve, streamline, and strengthen the various business regulatory support systems.

2:36:20I am submitting today written testimony on steps to improve the overall process as well.

2:36:25I've had your product and I endorse it. Tom Forkin always gets it for me. Thank you.

2:36:33Anyway, that's the name for the record. Proceed with your testimony. Hello, my name is Amaudia Breu. Today I am speaking as a private citizen of Philadelphia and I'm not representing any organization today.

2:36:47In my day-to-day work in Philadelphia, I work as a commercial loan officer for Impact Loan Fund.

2:36:52We are a community development financial institution in Philadelphia that works pretty closely with the smallest of businesses in the city.

2:37:01And the issue of the permitting process and the ability of businesses to start operating in Philadelphia is a big problem for us as well because we are very interested in funding and supporting businesses that are seeking capital to expand and grow.

2:37:24But it is true that it is a hard and strenuous process to go through that across the board.

2:37:34And so for me, a simple recommendation that could be helpful for the city of Philadelphia to consider is to establish a landing page website that uses conditional logic in terms of depending on the type of need or permitting you are looking for.

2:37:59It would be a form that asks basic questions and depending on the answer to those questions, then rerouting the folks to the specific forms that they would need to fill out.

2:38:11And on the back end, then that information can be sent to the specific department within the city of Philadelphia that would be in charge of that.

2:38:21And I think that something like that would, in a way, be cost effective. Obviously, it would require building that and going through the process.

2:38:30But I think it would help streamline just even the first step of finding out and figuring out what is it that you need to get in terms of permitting and everything that comes with that.

2:38:43And I just want to say I'm here to serve and happy to be a resource to the council members here in the committee and to any businesses here as well who are needing support and technical assistance. Thank you so much.

2:38:55That's very kind. Thank you. Please state your name for the record and perceive your testimony.

2:39:01Thank you. My name is William E. Laurie, Jr. I'm from Charleston, West Virginia, and I'm a disabled, retired combat veteran who served with 82nd Airborne Division.

2:39:13I used to work at Penn Presbyterian Hospital as a lead respiratory therapist and a relief critical care coordinator.

2:39:20And one of the many things I specialize in is coming up with solutions for the impossible to happen.

2:39:26And I've seen that take place with A&W Community Solutions and Arnett Woodall, and I volunteered for a lot of different organizations in my early retirement.

2:39:36And one of the many things I see is that, you know, he has supported many children who have come through his organization, who have come through his store.

2:39:46And in the process of doing so, I've seen them stay out of trouble. And I've seen a lot of them not even be able to make eye contact with an adult when you shake their hands or anything like that.

2:39:58They can't even look at you. And we've turned a lot of those children around, and for some reason they're not able to do that. I just don't understand children not being able to look into an adult's face and say, "How are you doing?"

2:40:10And shaking a hand. With him doing this with these children and having built this place, there's that 46% crime reduction in that area.

2:40:20And I remember driving up and down Market Street and seeing prostitution, seeing the drugs, being dealt, and all of a sudden I was driving, and I was like, "Where are they at?"

2:40:30You know, I did that because I worked night shift at a certain point in time at Presbyterian. I said, "Where are these people at now?"

2:40:37And I didn't know Arnett at the time. So I go over, I retired early due to a workplace accident, and I was like, "You know, I'm a country boy. I like my fried green tomatoes. Do you have any?"

2:40:47And I was talking to a son, Vante, and they were like, "Well, we don't have those, but we have beets."

2:40:52And I said, "That sounds interesting. Fry me some beets." So I fried me some beets, and I kept going over there all week and just finding out different things.

2:40:59And of course what I found out was that it was more to it than food, that they gave away food.

2:41:04Some of my boys, two of my boys were entering the parole bodybuilding field, and I couldn't afford to keep feeding them $800 a month and me making six meals for them all day long.

2:41:16So what ended up being, he would end up giving me additional food to sponsor us for free.

2:41:21He didn't, you know, he just like just, you know, "That's fine. I'll help you."

2:41:25In the process, my sons won numerous national championships, and now they retired from that, but they still eat.

2:41:36So recently I've seen where also Arnett has provided, I do believe it was 7,500 children and young adults come through there that he's employed.

2:41:47Sometimes he gets funding, sometimes he hasn't, and recently I haven't hardly seen any, it's because the funding dropped.

2:41:55And my guess is due to the current presidential administration, some fundings have dropped, but the city can't afford to do that.

2:42:03And the city children can't afford not to have jobs or employment of any type.

2:42:08And I don't mind, and some of these children is never a good thing.

2:42:14So I implore the city to find out ways to help them, because I saw where, recently it was the last week we saw where this Michelin Star restaurant,

2:42:24how I do believe it's called Friday, Saturday, Sunday, is what the restaurant's called. They got 1.5 million just saying we're just going to create a Michelin Star restaurant and employ 100 people.

2:42:35He's done 7,500 children without the city support.

2:42:39And it's a shame, it's a gross travesty of justice or funding in this matter.

2:42:46And I have heard him every time he said, "Hey, someone's giving me 5,000. I could hire 30 more kids."

2:42:51He doesn't use it for himself unless something needs to be repaired or something of that nature.

2:42:56And I work with him as a volunteer now.

2:42:58And what I have noticed is that when I call for the bill collectors or I've called for the taxes being due, I'm like, this is not the organization you can afford to chase after and shut down because of a lack of payment.

2:43:14It's devastating. It would devastate these youth, and a lot of them beg him not, please, not to leave.

2:43:22And he's been offered other things, but for some reason, and I guess because it's his home, he sees the need.

2:43:29And he knows what's going to happen to a lot of these children.

2:43:32And I've worked on the other end. I've worked in numerous traumas.

2:43:36And I even worked at Temple University Hospital because I wanted to go in a place where people didn't have the insurance, didn't have the ability to be cared for.

2:43:45And I've jumped in the third world countries during combat and stuff like that.

2:43:49And I've seen that and I'm like, you know, I can see where there's this big need and for him, avoid itself as some of the documentation.

2:43:59I've done a lot of research for him with his son and we've compiled documentation.

2:44:04He's very impactful, you know, and it's something that should be spread nationwide.

2:44:11It's very impactful, what he does. And not only that, you know, it bears a lot of fruit and the city of Philadelphia needs this bright light to continue.

2:44:20Thank you. Thank you very much. And thank you for your service to our country.

2:44:24It was fun. I got in trouble.

2:44:26Well, you're here. Thank you.

2:44:28Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.

2:44:32Good afternoon. My name is Bonita Cummings. I'm the director of Strawberry Mansion Community Concern and RCO.

2:44:40So since we are narrowed to two minutes after all of the other panels, one of the things I think is kind of disheartening about that is that none of those panels really had the community's voice, the neighborhood voice, the voices from the various neighborhoods.

2:44:55Our neighborhoods are very different in Philadelphia, as you all know, and my neighborhood particularly is a neighborhood that is marginalized.

2:45:02So how these type of micro businesses or pop up business will come into Strawberry Mansion has to be treated very differently than how they would show up on Fairmont Avenue.

2:45:13So I really think that also people talk about advisory committees and different things, task force and different things.

2:45:21And your commerce department is not talking to the smartest people, which are the people in those neighborhoods.

2:45:28And the reason that's important is so we don't have to come down here with the ability to only talk to you for one minute or two minutes to pull at each other about what is a quality business, what is not a quality business.

2:45:40So it's not fair to not have us as a part of panels to talk to you as experts. I'm a small business certified senior tax analyst. I do all of the city's processes online. So I'm very familiar with all of the things going on with what a small business or a micro business or a pop up business would be experiencing.

2:46:01So in order to try to keep to my two minutes, but it's very important that you all start to respect your voting public. You know, we're sitting here waiting and then we get up here and you get annoyed.

2:46:13You know, that frustration is in your face because the alarm is going off and you want people to stop talking because you gave them two minutes, but the panel's had much more time.

2:46:22So I need you to be clear about our role as the public, the people that vote for you and how we need to be at the table as the experts of our neighborhoods around this idea.

2:46:35Because we're already experiencing, as you know, from Councilwoman Gilmour's conference this morning, her press conference, the nuisance businesses and pop up businesses and micro businesses can become that in my neighborhood as a marginalized community.

2:46:49So we need to be at the table, talking to Congress about how to bring better quality businesses to strawberry mansion, giving them a better understanding and idea of that so that we don't continue to get the day goes and smoke shops and things of that nature, which you all know about.

2:47:05But just quickly, I wanted to go through these nine questions that we wanted to ask and so I'll start with number nine as neighborhood commercial space continues to disappear.

2:47:16What is the city's plan to preserve affordable storefronts where micro businesses and young entrepreneurs can establish can establish and grow what legislative and enforcement measures will address existing nuisance businesses while preventing new ones.

2:47:36What affect what affected residents and RCO will affect the residents RCOs receive notice when does a temporary business become permanent must temporary businesses comply with existing safety signage sanitation and accessibility laws.

2:47:53How will nuisance complaints trigger prompt enforcement, which higher impact uses should be excluded from expedited approval.

2:48:03And who is accountable, the operation, the operator property owner or organizer and very clearly what legally defines a pop up business should be made clear and again I asked you all to make sure that after table or the experts which is us in the community and not have us come here for just public comment at council session on Thursday and get one

2:48:28minute, you can't say nothing in one minute. And by that time you all have already made your minds up so we've not had the opportunity to be a quality voice, although we're holding a fourth, in many cases in these neighborhoods preventing gun violence and all of the things that go on from very nuisance businesses so thank you for your time.

2:48:47Thank you. Please say your name for the record and receive your testimony. Happy Wednesday. My name is Melba Tyro. And yes, I volunteer at West Philadelphia produce.

2:48:58We actually do all natural, and I volunteered, I have not ever. This man's comes out of his pocket, you can show he come out of his pocket, credit and gave out millions and millions of dollars for food and produce, this man does this from the strength from the muscle, everything we do is fresh.

2:49:24We don't do bio engineer foods, all of our food are organic he feeds many, many people every day and not one time have we seen anyone from city council come to 18 South 62nd Street, not one person to get a smoothie get a watermelon pick up some fresh fruit, all seated like nobody.

2:49:50All I'm just want you all to do is please, if it wasn't for him, 60 seconds street while 60th and market is starting to look like Kensington. No, honestly, he stopped 60 second and market from looking out 60th and market street is starting to look exactly like Kensington, and you're not doing nothing.

2:50:14This man doing everything in his power with toes lost in all he's doing everything solo and I don't think it's fair to him. He helped too many kids, you know how many kids I worked at the funeral home to work in the cemetery.

2:50:29You know how many kids this man and help survive like they done prospered in college, moving on better life, because of Mr. Wood off. All he needed your help. That's all that man that's all he need is you guys to help find him get this thing together.

2:50:47He's doing a all apply job, better than any black park Asian bodegas that I know it 18 South 62nd Street. Okay, but you still haven't came down for every long time.

2:51:11Okay. Thank you. All right. Thank you all. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. Thank you, counsel. My name is Zoe Chayev. I am a city policy coordinator at the Institute for Justice at the city's work initiative.

2:51:26We've heard a lot of testimony today, so I'll try to be a little brief, but the city's work is an initiative that works across the country to make it cheaper, faster and simpler to start a small business completely free of charge.

2:51:36We're now working over three dozen cities and over the past couple years we've been working in partnership with the mayor's open for business initiative with the Department of Commerce and the mayor's office of policy planning delivery in order to remove the regulatory hurdles that this that disproportionately impact our smallest business.

2:51:51Through our work with of be we have been able to have conversations with over 100 small businesses across the city in several different neighborhoods in seven different council districts across three different languages.

2:52:01And unfortunately, a lot of the themes we hear are echoed in the earlier comments we heard today. Fortunately, though, that informs our work with of be I'm here to highlight some of the policy reforms that we've been able to pursue and also give some recommendations for reform.

2:52:13Through our work with of be we've been able to publish a food safety inspection checklist. We've been also been able to continue work on the Philadelphia permit navigator program and speak into the mic.

2:52:23The Philadelphia permit navigator program and remove redundant and outdated licenses. We urge Philadelphia to continue this reform and in addition to adopting many of the reforms we heard today, which we would support.

2:52:36We haven't heard discussed clarifying and creating more consolidation of zoning districts in Philadelphia as well as lifting restrictions on cottage food businesses in Philadelphia.

2:52:47I'll talk a little bit about the food safety inspection guide because I think it's worth mentioning as a big win.

2:52:51But that was a partner set of partnerships with the Department of Health, the Department of Commerce and OPPD.

2:52:57This was in direct response to concerns we've heard from small businesses in Philadelphia. For example, we chatted with an entrepreneur in South Philly, a pizza restaurant who was told by one inspector that he had to install a garbage disposal in his sink in order to pass the inspection.

2:53:13The entrepreneur agreed. He spent thousands of dollars doing so. He was later told by a different inspector that that was no longer it necessarily and he didn't need to do that.

2:53:22That's an example of city rules consistently changing under the entrepreneurs and inconsistency like inspections like that can set back entrepreneurs thousands of dollars and months of delays.

2:53:32Fortunately, we've been able to develop the food safety inspection checklist. We urge the city to adopt other reforms as well.

2:53:38We're here to continue to work with you to make it cheaper, faster and simpler to start a small business in Philly.

2:53:43Yep. Good evening, council members. I'm out in Driscoll. It is evening now. My name is Anuj Gupta. I'm President and CEO of the Welcoming Center since 2003.

2:54:06We've helped over 20,000 immigrant Philadelphians turn their skills into economic opportunity.

2:54:12Thank you for holding this hearing and thanks to the Commerce Department for being a real partner in much of our work.

2:54:17Every week we meet entrepreneurs who already have something people want to buy food, clothing, jewelry, crafts.

2:54:24What they lack is a clear path from the kitchen or production table to a paying customer.

2:54:29We try to build that path in a few ways. First, our entrepreneurship program, which is funded by commerce, helps people write a business plan, get one-on-one coaching, find capital, access production space, commercial kitchens or otherwise, and get their business started.

2:54:45We've helped thousands of people now from across the globe do that right here in Philadelphia.

2:54:51The second, through a subsidiary of the Welcoming Center that we created a year ago called Immigrant Marché, we are now giving micro entrepreneurs a platform through which they can scale and grow their business here in Philadelphia.

2:55:07That includes several components. We are providing a brokerage that provides immigrant entrepreneurs in Philadelphia a pathway to get commercial retail distribution access from their production space to a network of independent co-ops and grocers across the region.

2:55:24Secondly, starting with a pilot this summer that was part of the Mean Time on Market initiative, we are providing a storefront through which immigrant entrepreneurs can access customers in real time.

2:55:38The first experiment took place on Ludlow Street this past summer as part of the Marketece activations, and just last week at 1218 Arch Street we launched our second pop-up, which will run through the holidays giving immigrant entrepreneurs and producers access to customers five days a week.

2:55:56It's an aggregation of their products coupled with an immigrant-owned bookstore that the Welcoming Center is now operating.

2:56:03Here's what this path looks like. As an example, Brizna and Aldo of Mucho, Peru came through our program about two years ago, prepared out of a commercial kitchen space for catering pop-ups, and then when a $25,000 commerce grant opened a booth at Gather Food Hall at the University of Pennsylvania campus.

2:56:23Training pop-ups in a permanent space. That's how the pipeline, that's when it works. At Christmas Village, where we have also had a booth for a few years running, a number of immigrant entrepreneurs have had access to end-to-end support, booth set-up scheduling, language access assistance, and inventory tracking, and the sales figures that they have seen in just a two-month period have been quite astounding.

2:56:52For those two months, they have a family-sustaining business. So these pop-up opportunities can be a pathway to a serious business enterprise, one that has a growth trajectory, one that they can take care of themselves and their family members.

2:57:08But our vendors and our entrepreneurs hit repeatedly the same issues. Permits, and we've already gone through that. I'm not going to go through that in detail.

2:57:18Space and cost. If you're asking a micro enterprise to commit to a multi-year lease or front the costs for six figures and fit out, they are entering a significant risk proposition, which most don't have the ability to do.

2:57:38So a couple of thoughts, and then of course there's cash flow. They need immediate cash flow to start paying off expenses that they've already incurred. So a few suggestions on how we can reduce these barriers.

2:57:50One is, let's look at creating a multilingual, simple, over-the-counter vending permit, which, if you are a repeat vendor, can be fast-tracked, and avoid going through a 30-, 60-, 90-day review period with L&I.

2:58:10Let's also consider keeping funding through commerce to community partners that establish pop-up markets. These pop-up markets can be a gateway for an entrepreneur to take an idea, something that they're doing in their own house or kitchen, and turn it into that life-sustaining business.

2:58:30Let's expand programs, like Meantime on Market, which was behind the Market East activation this summer, that can activate vacant storefronts and public land for rotating pop-up opportunities.

2:58:45And then let's also look at small, fast microgrants for both fees and equipment. And by the way, these recommendations run across the board, immigrant and native-born entrepreneurs. Everyone can benefit from these.

2:58:58So lastly, immigrant entrepreneurs are filling empty storefronts and bringing shoppers back to our corridors with simpler rules and steady partnership. Many more of them can grow from a pop-up into a permanent Philadelphia business. Thank you, and happy to take any questions.

2:59:18Okay. Please state your name for the record and pursue your testimony. My name is Jigar Mehta. Apologies for being late. I came and then I spoke with Council President, and we discussed Bill 251026, sir, which is your bill.

2:59:42And one of the suggestions he made was that if we can show the comparison of Bill 251026 versus the Jump Start program.

2:59:51According to the fiscal note, commerce had said that the Jump Start program was a replacement for the $100,000 exception going away.

3:00:00I want to quickly go through that with you, if you don't mind sir, I'll be very quick.

3:00:14Okay.

3:00:19In the right hands.

3:00:20Okay.

3:00:21So if one summary page, it'll take me once.

3:00:24Sure.

3:00:25Okay.

3:00:26So when we look, when we compare it to Bill 251026 versus the JumpStar program, you talk

3:00:31about scale.

3:00:32At the scale level, there's about 86,000 businesses that are affected by the, by the exemption

3:00:38going away.

3:00:39They will be covered by Bill 251026.

3:00:41That's 55% of the businesses of Philadelphia.

3:00:44These are mostly sole, sole proprietors, you know, mom and pop shops.

3:00:48These are self-employed workers.

3:00:50When you look at the JumpStar program, they've only planned to support 8,550 businesses.

3:00:56Most of those, about 6,500 of those businesses are just to do accounting work, free accounting

3:01:00work.

3:01:01They've replaced their, their impact as Mr. Gupta was talking about, about having cash

3:01:06in your pocket.

3:01:08So Bill, Bill 2526, 216 wins 10 to one on that.

3:01:12When it costs to the city, the Bill 251026 over five years is 148 million versus JumpStar

3:01:20is 158 million.

3:01:22So the city will actually save $10.87 million over five years.

3:01:27That's revenue positive for the city by using, start going with Councilman Driscoll's Bill.

3:01:32When you look about money in the community, you know, there's a saying in Philadelphia,

3:01:37cash rules, everything around me, right?

3:01:38So around is the key word.

3:01:40It's called the multiplier effect.

3:01:42When you make less than a living wage, what happens is that you have a higher propensity

3:01:46to spend your money.

3:01:47You have to.

3:01:48You got to pay the childcare worker.

3:01:49You got to pay your local, local person that you're buying food off of.

3:01:53So what that does is that that leaves more money in the community, spreading faster.

3:01:59There's almost, depending on which accounts he talked to, almost a two to three times

3:02:03multiplier effect.

3:02:04I spend, I get a dollar, I give it to her.

3:02:07She gives it to him.

3:02:08That's how the community spends with the JumpStar program.

3:02:10That doesn't occur.

3:02:11It goes to several accountants.

3:02:13We estimate about 23 that were approved.

3:02:15And then there's grants that go to paid and then paid goes to PIDC.

3:02:19So the multiplier effect is very limited on that.

3:02:21And the last part is who decides.

3:02:23The law says that if we pass this bill, the people decide.

3:02:28The people get to choose what to do with their money versus the money is taken by the city.

3:02:33The city then gives it to paid, paid then gives it to PIDC.

3:02:36PIDC then decides who the winners and losers are.

3:02:39And right now, the only from the last time that they pass the bill, there's only been

3:02:43since June, we estimate about 250 businesses that have actually received the grants and

3:02:50about 95 of them are the ones that are making less than 50,000 or a hundred thousand dollars.

3:02:54So it is no contest or your bill wins in every standard.

3:02:58Let's hope that we can get a hearing sounded like council president based off of this conversation

3:03:03I just had previously when I met him, he was open to it.

3:03:05So I'm grateful for council president to opening his heart to this.

3:03:08And sir, I'm grateful for for you standing up for small businesses.

3:03:11Give them the multiplier effect in here.

3:03:16I should.

3:03:17Yes, sir.

3:03:18But if you can add it, it doesn't have to be for today.

3:03:20Yeah, that'll be more, yeah, more help for us as we go through this process.

3:03:26Yeah.

3:03:27I think you met with council president.

3:03:28Yeah, he is receptive to this.

3:03:30Yeah.

3:03:31His office, as you know, worked with me on this bill.

3:03:33Yeah.

3:03:34You know, there's always fear unintended consequences, but I think we're moving in the

3:03:39right direction.

3:03:40So I appreciate all your efforts and everything you've been doing.

3:03:42And Dr. Ma, thank you for setting up this hearing and thank you for your efforts as

3:03:45well.

3:03:46Thank you.

3:03:50Thank you.

3:03:51I just get one minute.

3:03:52Remember Matt.

3:03:53Yeah, I just wanted to say thank you to your witnesses who've been sitting and waiting

3:03:56so long.

3:03:57Really important information, particularly you coming in from the outside to do it.

3:04:04Sometimes we need that we need somebody from the outside to take a fresh look and then

3:04:08also look at best practices elsewhere so we can really streamline this.

3:04:12So we look forward to working with all of you and of course, welcoming center has been

3:04:16at the forefront.

3:04:17How we take that and do it for everybody is probably where we need to think about scale.

3:04:22And of course, you know, we've been talking about this for a while.

3:04:28I just want to make my personal thanks to all of you for staying.

3:04:31And of course to Yvonne for sitting and taking notes.

3:04:35Listen, you are an example of true public servant.

3:04:40Let your presence here be an example to the rest of those who are not here.

3:04:48I am not happy about that at all.

3:04:51So I appreciate you staying, you taking notes and we'll be talking to all of you in order

3:04:57to have any movement from all this data we have collected today.

3:05:01So I yield back to you.

3:05:03Thank you, Member Menning.

3:05:04Thank you for calling for this hearing.

3:05:05Mr. Sham, would you please call the next speaker?

3:05:09There are no other speakers on the public comment list, Mr. Chairman.

3:05:12Well, I'd like to thank all of our witnesses for joining us today.

3:05:15This concludes the business before this committee on commerce and economic development.

3:05:20Thank you very much all of you for your attendance and your patience.