Small Businesses
Small Business and Workforce Development
Small businesses are the backbone of Memphis’ economy. They employ thousands of Memphians, drive local innovation, and create the majority of new jobs. Ensuring that entrepreneurs—especially first generation, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses—have the tools they need to grow is essential to the economic future of Tennessee’s Ninth District.
One of the largest purchasers of goods and services in the world is the U.S. government, and every year billions of dollars in federal contracts and other resources are awarded to small businesses. Congressman Cohen has worked hard to expand access to these federal resources. To help Memphians compete for these opportunities, he has hosted an annual Federal Procurement Fair to bring agencies such as the Small Business Administration, Department of Transportation, Department of Energy, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and others directly to local business owners. These fairs walk entrepreneurs through the federal contracting process and help them position themselves to for federal contracts and other resources.
To participate in Congressman Cohen's annual Federal Procurement Fair, click here to contact his office.
Supporting small business also means investing in the workforce that powers them. Congressman Cohen has strongly supported federal apprenticeship and workforce development programs that help Memphians prepare for in-demand careers—whether in aviation, advanced manufacturing, logistics, clean energy, health care, or the tech sector. These programs open doors for workers of all backgrounds to earn industry-recognized credentials and secure stable, high-wage jobs.
He has also brought home significant Community Project Funding to support local organizations that train entrepreneurs, develop the next generation of Memphis talent, and strengthen our small business ecosystem. These investments have helped:
- Local non-profits that provide tech training, coding education, and workforce pipelines that prepare young people and adults for high-demand technology careers.
- Local startup incubators and small-business accelerators that offer mentorship, business development assistance, and access to capital for early-stage entrepreneurs.
- Community-based workforce organizations that help residents gain industry skills, connect with employers, and build long-term career pathways.
Memphis succeeds when its small businesses succeed. Congressman Cohen is committed to supporting hardworking families, expanding economic opportunity, strengthening the local workforce, and ensuring that every entrepreneur in our community has the chance to start and grow a successful business.
More on Small Businesses
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) early this morning voted for, and the House passed, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The measure provides paid leave, establishes free testing, supports strong unemployment benefits, expands food assistance for vulnerable children and families, and increases funding for Medicaid programs across the country. It also contains tax credits for small and medium-sized businesses affected by the relief measures.
The vote on passage was 363 to 40. It now moves to the Senate for a vote.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that Southwest Tennessee Community College will be receiving a $998,405 grant from the Department of Labor's Closing the Skills Gap Program designed to expand apprenticeship programs.
The college was one of 28 recipients of grants awarded Wednesday totaling nearly $100 million that will support the training of 92,000 individuals in new or expanded apprenticeship programs.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that the Mid-South Minority Council TADP Inc., an agency providing services to minority business enterprises, will receive a U.S. Department of Commerce grant of $285,400 to spur job creation and retention.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Steve Cohen voted to pass H.R. 1644, the Save the Internet Act, a bill he cosponsored, to restore popular, bipartisan net neutrality protections for consumers and small businesses after the Trump Administration ended these vital protections in a brazen, partisan attack last year. The Save the Internet Act passed the House by a vote of 231-190.
WASHINGTON – Today, at a hearing of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on which he serves as a senior member, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) praised the U.S. Department of Transportation's selection of Memphis as center for aerial drone technology and noted the initial success last week of a drone demonstration.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded a federal research grant totaling nearly $300,000 to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). These funds will help support UTHSC research to identify potential new drugs in cancer therapies through their Anticancer Strategies Targeting the Autotaxin-LPA Receptor Axis program.
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, today announced that he will be introducing articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump following the President's comments on the horrific events in Charlottesville, Virginia.
A group of liberal House Democrats stepped up criticism of President Trump on Wednesday, introducing a "no confidence" resolution that officially questions Trump's fitness to serve as commander in chief.
It logs a laundry list of controversies swirling around the president — including his campaign's many contacts with Russian officials, his refusal to release his taxes, his verbal attacks on women and the press, and his firing of FBI Director James Comey.
[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, today introduced a Resolution of No Confidence in President Donald J. Trump. The resolution details President Trump's unacceptable behavior as President and expresses a lack of confidence in his service. A copy of the resolution can be found here.