WP25 WINS | Small Business Owners Rally in Washington for Washinton Presentation - America’s Small Business Fly-In
- NSBA
- Sep 12
- 7 min read
Updated: Sep 16
Thank you to all of the Advocates for making this week's fly-in a tremendous success - we look forward to furthering the impacts from Washington Presentation for the nation's most important economic community. Check out the highlights and big wins for Small Business.
SEPT. 10-11, 2025, Washington, D.C. | This week, more than 100 Small-Business owners from across the country came together for the National Small Business Association’s (NSBA) annual Washington Presentation, also known as America’s Small Business Fly-In. This two-day event gives entrepreneurs the chance to connect directly with top policymakers, administration officials, and Members of Congress on the most pressing issues facing Main Street.
Day One: Policy, Recognition, and Preparation
WP25 began Wednesday at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) National Housing Center grand atrium, where attendees known as WP Advocates networked with peers and sponsors before diving into a Media Training led by the following members of NSBA’s Board of Trustees:
Esther Monzon-Aguirre | With over 30 years of leadership across corporate, public, and nonprofit sectors, Esther Monzon-Aguirre is recognized nationally for her expertise in community outreach and legislative advocacy. She helps organizations translate strategy into action through collaborative planning and stakeholder engagement.
Cynthia Kay | Founder of Cynthia Kay and Company, Cynthia Kay is a nationally recognized small-business leader, author, and media voice. Her award-winning communications firm serves clients from startups to Fortune 100 companies, and she is a frequent contributor to Entrepreneur.com and national media outlets.
Heidi Stone | As President & CEO of Mountain Lake Lodge, Heidi Stone revitalized the iconic resort into an award-winning destination. With 35 years in hospitality leadership, she champions mentorship and team development while driving record growth and national acclaim.
Review their presentation and tools for Small Businesses on social media here.
Second up, a Regulatory Roundtable, led by the SBA Office of Advocacy provided the attendees with first-hand accounts and experiences with regulatory hurdles and heard updates on key federal rulemakings, including conversation with:
Dr. Casey Mulligan | Chief Counsel for Advocacy at the SBA and economics professor at the University of Chicago, Dr. Casey Mulligan has advised presidents, authored influential books, and shaped national policy on taxation, labor, and health economics.
Chip Bishop | Deputy Chief Counsel at the SBA Office of Advocacy, Chip Bishop brings deep federal economic and regulatory expertise. He is committed to ensuring small business voices are heard in the policymaking process.
Thank you to this year's sponsors of WP25, including our Member sponsors, as well as our coporate partners, whose support of small-business is a big impact for the nation's most important economic community:
At the Advocates’ Luncheon, NSBA honored the nation’s most dedicated small business champions with the Lew Shattuck Small Business Advocate of the Year Award, formally kicking off the event, including the following winners and honorees:
Dwayne Groll - Environmental Design Group, LLC in Akron, Ohio. Founded in 1984, Environmental Design Group is a civil engineering, planning, and design firm dedicated to enhancing the well-being of people and communities across Ohio. Groll is deeply committed to small-business advocacy, serving on the Board of Directors for the Greater Akron Chamber and is the inaugural Chair of the Akron-Canton Advocacy Alliance (ACAA), representing thousands of regional businesses. He has championed issues ranging from tax reform and regulatory relief to innovation funding and workforce development and is a widely respected coalition-builder.
Christine Hopkins - ASCI Federal Services, LLC in Anchorage, Alaska. Since 1999, ASCI and its sister companies have provided comprehensive supply chain and asset management services, including vendor management and contracting, materials coordination and procurement, and transportation coordination. Hopkins was recently named SBA Small Business Owner of the Year for Alaska and active with NSBA, Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) and the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and advises the Alaska Women’s Business Center. She has championed policies supporting women-owned and Veteran-owned small businesses, advocated for tax reform and procurement equity on Capitol Hill, and mentored entrepreneurs nationwide.
Jingbo “Louise” Liu – Louise Nanoinnovation North American, LLC in Corpus Christi, Texas. Founded in, 2018, Nanoinnovation is a consultancy specializing in educational support services, sustainable energy, and policy with the goal of promoting "clean energy and healthy life," focused on technical services, wellness products, interactive materials, alternate energy commercialization, and green ecosystem services. Liu is a nationally recognized advocate for small businesses and STEM innovation, having organized more than two dozen Science Cafés—interactive forums on hydrogen energy, compliance roadmaps, and community-driven energy solutions—drawing hundreds of entrepreneurs, educators, and policymakers. She is passionate about mentorship to the next generation of entrepreneurs and has partnered with institutions like Texas A&M–Kingsville to integrate her policy-toolkit modules into accelerator curricula and donating 10% of her company’s revenue to student support in STEM.
Valerie Rachel - Simplicity Healthcare Management, LLC in Atlanta, Georgia. Simplicity Healthcare Management is a licensed home care agency providing in-home care, personal care, and skilled nursing services with experienced home caregivers. Rachel is a passionate advocate for small-business equity and inclusion. She has actively engaged with policymakers on issues ranging from tax fairness and access to lending, to reducing regulatory barriers that disproportionately impact minority- and women-owned enterprises. Through her leadership, she has mentored emerging business owners, hosted financial literacy workshops, and collaborated with local chambers of commerce to expand entrepreneurial opportunities in her community.
Di Tran - Louisville Beauty Academy in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville Beauty Academy is a state-licensed beauty school that empowers students through flexible, affordable training in cosmetology, nails, aesthetics, and beauty instruction. Tran is an entrepreneur, educator, and relentless advocate for small businesses and underserved communities. Tran founded the New American Business Association Inc. (NABA), where he has led successful advocacy for equitable licensing policies, multilingual licensing exams, and representation of diverse professionals on the Kentucky State Board of Cosmetology. His efforts were instrumental in shaping Kentucky Senate Bill 14, which secured the first-ever representation for Asian Americans, nail technicians, and estheticians on the board.
Among the key criteria used in determining award finalists is a commitment to small-business advocacy above and beyond policies that specifically impact their own business or industry, as well as a broad scope of volunteer efforts to advance and improve small business.
NSBA was also thrilled to honor Major Clark, III with the SBA Office of Advocacy with the NSBA Lifetime Advocate Award. Clark has been with the Office of Advocacy since 1998, having served as Acting Chief Counsel from 2017 to 2025. Retiring at the end of this month, Clark has been a familiar face at NSBA eve3nts and has been a stalwart in the small-business advocacy community.
The afternoon featured an exclusive White House Briefing at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, followed by an Issues Briefing on artificial intelligence and small business. To equip attendees for the next day’s advocacy, NSBA hosted an Advocacy 101 training to close out the day. At the White House, attendees heard from the following Administration officials:
Kelly Loeffler | SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler is an entrepreneur, former U.S. Senator, and business leader who helped grow Intercontinental Exchange into a Fortune 500 company. She also founded fintech startup Bakkt and continues to champion small-business growth and economic opportunity.
Dr. Kevin Hassett | Director of the National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett previously chaired the Council of Economic Advisers and is a longtime economic policy leader. He is widely published and known for his expertise on taxation, fiscal policy, and growth.
Upon return to the National Housing Center conference facility, WP Advocates listened to a briefing on artificial intelligence issues and the realities it is creating for the small-business community. Moderated by NSBA’s Director of Research and Regulatory Affairs Rachel Grey, the panel included expert insight from:
Jennifer Huddleston | Senior fellow in technology policy at the Cato Institute, with research focused on the intersection of emerging technology and law, with a particular interest in the interactions between technology and the administrative state.
Nathan Lindfors | Policy Director at Engine Advocacy and Foundation, where he leads the organization's research efforts and their Al, competition, privacy, and international trade policy work.
Stuart Styron | Senior Policy Fellow at SeedAl. Previously, Mr. Styron served as Senior Technology Policy Counsel to Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, including responsibilities for the portfolio related to all technology and telecommunications issues, specifically Al.
The day closed with a lively networking reception at The Darcy Hotel, where business owners compared notes, built connections, and prepared for the Hill visits ahead.
Day Two: On the Hill
Thursday started early, with buses departing at dawn for Capitol Hill. The highlight was the Congressional Breakfast at the Reserve Officers Association Building, where lawmakers addressed small-business advocates directly. Speakers included:
Sen. Ron Johnson
Sen. Rand Paul
Sen. Jon Husted
Rep. Roger Williams
Rep. Derek Schmidt
Rep. Carol Miller
Rep. LaMonica McIver
Rep. Adrian Smith
Rep. Johnny Olszewski
Lawmakers discussed what’s moving in Congress on small-business legislation and pledged to keep small-business issues front and center in the 119th Congress.
Read more about the wins for NSBA's Priority Issues secured by our Members' advocacy here.
After breakfast, attendees fanned out across Capitol Hill for a full day of meetings with their Senators and Representatives. NSBA emphasized that these discussions were focused on its priority issues, ensuring a unified voice on matters such as tax policy, access to capital, regulatory reform, and workforce development.
Why It Matters
For small business owners, Washington Presentation isn’t just another conference: it is a chance to put a face and a story behind the statistics of the nation’s most important economic community. By walking the halls of Congress to advocate for NSBA’s Priority Issues, participants make clear that America’s entrepreneurs are engaged, united, and ready to work with policymakers to craft solutions that strengthen Main Street.
As NSBA President Todd McCracken noted, when lawmakers hear directly from small business owners, “it changes the conversation.” And judging by the energy in the room and the packed meeting schedule on Capitol Hill, this conversation is only just beginning.
See you next year!