Erie County Legislator Joseph Lorigo completed a local business tour this past summer meeting with business owners and their employees to discuss the challenges they are currently facing and ways government, and the Legislature specifically, can help.

“I want to thank the companies who participated in this summer’s business tour to discuss issues that local business owners face. Erie County has been a difficult place for local businesses, but we are trying to change that by fighting antiquated state policies, reducing taxes and eliminating the many hurdles small business owners deal with on a daily basis,” said Legislator Lorigo. “We do have a lot to celebrate locally; new businesses are opening and established companies are expanding. However, growth comes with new challenges, and we should be doing everything we can to support small businesses as they grow. Meeting with business owners and their employees at their locations provides an in depth look into what they face day to day and a better perspective to help resolve any issues they may have.”

The summer 2015 Business Tour included: 10-75 Emergency Lighting LLC, Clear Choice Carpet Cleaning, East Aurora Cooperative Market, HJS Supply, Pine Rest Pet Cemetery, Purrfect Tea, Roaming Dee’s Restaurant, Stack Burger and Waynewood Kennels.

“I want to thank Legislator Lorigo for including 10-75 Emergency Lighting on his tour to discuss our successes and struggles. We are happy we chose to open in Elma, and have grown by 60 percent in a year. We not only outgrew our building and added more staff, but our customer base also grew to include the entire State of New York. However, we do face issues, such as how to support our employees and help them get medical insurance. It is good to see elected officials take an interest in the real issues we deal with and hopefully government on all levels can support local businesses,” said Gabe Casucci, New York Operations Manager for 10-75 Emergency Lighting.

“At Clear Choice Carpet Cleaning we are involved in a lot more than people realize and we appreciated the opportunity to show Legislator Lorigo the aspects of the company that most people do not get to see. In doing so, I believe we opened the doors to a great working relationship between the public and private sectors, working together for the betterment of our region,” said Edmund Bedient, owner of Clear Choice Carpet Cleaning. “As a board member for the West Seneca Chamber, I appreciated the purpose of the business tour and discussing our area’s current economic climate with a lawmaker who truly cares.”

“Please remember to check out these great businesses and the many others that have invested in Erie County. I encourage anyone with a question, concern or comment regarding our business environment to please contact me at my office anytime,” added Legislator Lorigo.

For additional information or to speak with Legislator Lorigo, please call 858-8922 or email joseph.lorigo@erie.gov.