Carnahan to meet with local business owners

To do so, Carnahan will hear local business owners’ concerns about interacting with her office at a forum at 1:30 p.m. today at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, 202 S. John Q. Hammons Parkway.

The roundtable discussion, part of Carnahan’s “Focus on Small Business” series, will include local attorneys, accountants and business professionals. Springfield Mayor Tom Carlson will join Carnahan, as will Carol Fischer, deputy secretary of state for business services, and Matt Kitzi, director of corporations/counsel for business services.

Professionals and small-business owners are invited to present their concerns about working with Carnahan’s office and the hurdles they’ve encountered in starting a business.

Carnahan is conducting similar events across the state.

“As a small-business owner myself, I know what it is like to sort through a lot of bureaucracy and paperwork just to get things done with state government,” Carnahan said in a news release. “That is why I want to hear about common sense ways the Secretary of State’s office can help small businesses grow and create more jobs for Missourians.”