(ATLANTA) – As families join together to celebrate Thanksgiving and the start of the 2019 holiday season, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger encourages Georgia to support small businesses.

“When small businesses grow, the entire U.S. economy benefits,” said Raffensperger. “I encourage all Georgians to support their local businesses as they shop for family and friends on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and throughout the holiday season.”

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are 1.1 million small businesses in Georgia, making up 99.6% of all businesses in the state and employing 1.6 million Georgians. An estimated 533,00 businesses are women-owned and more than 278,000 Georgia small businesses are minority-owned. Of all Georgia businesses, 94.1% employ fewer than 50 people and 75.4% employ fewer than 10.

As Secretary of State, Raffensperger has committed to doing what he can to make it easier for small businesses to succeed. In 2019, Area Development named Georgia the “Top State for Business” for the sixth year in a row. More specifically, Georgia tied for first place in the country for speed of permitting and for cooperative and responsive state government. Site Selection ranked Georgia as the top business climate in the country for the seventh year in a row.

Raffensperger will continue to implement policies and cut regulations to make sure Georgia remains a top place for small businesses to succeed and thrive.