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Recorded: May 23, 2006 ——————————-Duration: 45 minutes

Steve Millard (on the left) and Lou Licata (on the right) of the small business organization COSE are the guests of host Anita Campbell on this episode of Small Business Trends Radio.

COSE (Council on Smaller Enterprises) is a 16,000 member organization in Northeast Ohio with 75% of the membership having less than 10 employees. Steve and Lou cover a wide range of topics on what a small business advocacy group can and should be focused on for its members. Such as:

The real value of a small business advocacy group is to do what a small business cannot do on its own. Listen to Steve and Lou explain the key issues facing small businesses today and what their organization is doing to organize advocacy campaigns to further the interests of small businesses on the important topics of today.

Then take the ideas and strategies to your local small business advocacy organization or even share this radio show with them. Or just get involved yourself. Small business has a big voice — let’s use it!

Recorded: May 23, 2006

Duration: 60 minutes

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About Steve Millard

Steve Millard is executive director of the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) and chief operating officer of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the primary voice for businesses in Greater Cleveland.

As Executive Director of COSE, Millard has overall responsibility for programs, products and services provided to the 15,000 small business members of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. In addition to his role as Executive Director of COSE, he also serves as the COO of GCP and provides leadership for Member Services, IT, Marketing and Communications, HR and other organization support functions.

Prior to joining the Greater Cleveland Partnership and COSE, Millard spent five years with Andersen Consulting’s Strategic Services Practice in both Boston and Cleveland. At Andersen Consulting, he focused on strategic management and supply chain strategy projects for Fortune 500 companies. Millard also served General Electric’s Medical Systems Business Group in Boston, where he was responsible for sales and service logistics for the Northeast Region.

About Lou Licata

As founder and president of Licata & Associates Co., L.P.A., Louis J. Licata is responsible for the management of the firm and its various practice areas. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, the Professional Fellowship Program at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management and Cleveland State University.

In the legal community, Mr. Licata was the first attorney in Ohio certified as a specialist in both workers’ compensation and employment law after meeting the extensive requirements and high standards of the Ohio State Bar Ass’n’s Specialty Board and The Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Certification of Attorney’s as Specialists. He has also been a leader in his profession starting one of the first Internet Law practices in the country and implementing innovative firm management measures, including a paperless office initiative.

In the business community, Mr. Licata is an active member of, and resource for, The Entrepreneur’s Organization and The Executive Committee (TEC), which is an international organization of CEO’s committed to growing their businesses. Finally, he serves on the boards of several organizations, including The Council of Small Enterprises (”COSE”), NorTech and the Better Business Bureau. Recently, Mr. Licata was reappointed to COSE’s Executive Committee as the organization’s First Vice Chair. He will assume responsibility as Chair in 2006.

About COSE

You can find out more about COSE at its website, COSE.org. COSE is affiliated with the National Small Business Association (NSBA), mentioned in the broadcast, and you can find out more about NSBA at its website, NSBA.biz. In the Advocacy section of the NSBA site you can find information about the key issues facing small businesses today in the United States and what the NSBA is doing about them.