Dear friend,

Before I was in Congress, or even a physicist, I was a small business owner. When I was 19, my brother and I started a theater lighting company, now known as Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC), from scratch in our basement. Today, ETC manufactures over half of the theater lighting equipment in the United States, with our equipment being used for Broadway shows, musical concerts, churches, schools, and more.

• The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invests billions to restore our aging transportation infrastructure, including crumbling roads and bridges. These improvements will reduce shipping delays and help small business owners obtain the resources they need.

• The CHIPS and Science Act, which boosts domestic manufacturing of semiconductors, helping to ease supply chain pressures and lower costs for businesses.

• The Inflation Reduction Act, which lowers business’ health care costs and includes tax credits that will help small business owners save on their energy bills.

Despite the ongoing economic effects of the pandemic, these policies laid the groundwork for small businesses to bounce back in a big way. In 2021, there were 198,800 business applications filed in Illinois — up from an average of 107,300 per year before the pandemic.

As your Member of Congress, I will always fight to ensure our small businesses have the resources and support they need to continue their important work in our communities. As always, my office is here to work for you. If you need assistance with the Small Business Administration or any federal agency, don’t hesitate to contact us by using any of the numbers listed below.

Sincerely,

Bill Foster
Member of Congress