Small Business Research, Statistics Easier to Find

Words: Dan KesterThe Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy has recently redesigned its website to make it easier for small business owners, trade associations, researchers and policymakers to find the data they need and find it fast.

The site, www.sba.gov/advo, offers easy to use menus and search features that guide users to a wealth of data, reports and statistics on small business and the American economy.

Users of the newly designed site have found that regulatory issues, state profiles and other issues are much more accessible.

The Office of Advocacy is "the small business watchdog" of the government and examines the role and status of small business in the economy and independently represents the views of small businesses to federal agencies, Congress and the President.

You can also go to their website to comment on important proposed regulations. To do so, visit http://www.sba.gov/advo/laws/law_regalerts.html.

I think you'll find this a useful tool to help keep you apprised of various issues which impact your business.

PPE That Workers Actually Wear: Building Buy-In Through Education and Smart Selection
August 2026

In masonry construction, personal protective equipment (PPE) is often the last line of defense between a worker and an injury. Yet despite its importance, PPE compliance remains one of the most common challenges on jobsites across the country. The realit

Greg Brown
Safety Library
Read More
Zero Laydown: Navigating the Logistics of Tight Urban Job Sites
August 2026

In modern commercial construction, spatial real estate has become just as valuable as the materials themselves. The industry shift toward high-density, urban projects means that the sprawling job sites of the past have been replaced by tight footprints wh

Shayne Sanders
MAP Partner
Read More
Why "The Software Can't Track That" Is Finally Going Away
August 2026

For as long as specialty contractors have used field software, most of them have kept a workaround somewhere: a spreadsheet on a foreman's laptop, a whiteboard in the trailer, or a text thread where crew leads send block counts at the end of the day becau

Erin Koets
Build Smart
MAP Partner
Read More
Monadnock Building
August 2026

Chicago’s Monadnock Building doesn’t dominate the skyline the way it once did. Surrounded by steel-and-glass towers, the dark brick structure can seem almost understated. But for anyone in the masonry industry, it remains one of the most important buildin

Cass Stern
American Treasure
Brick Clay Brick
Read More