Sam's Club steps up efforts to help small business owners

BENTONVILLE, Ark. Sam's Club and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced at America's Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C. details of joint member benefits program that will broaden both organizations ability to be advocates for small business, lower their costs and help them succeed.

"The face of small business is evolving as is the role of large corporations and government to bring about health care reform, tax, energy and other policy solutions," said Brian Cornell, Sam's Club president and CEO in his remarks during the U.S. Chamber Blue Ribbon Small Business Awards Luncheon honoring the nation's top small business owners. "We understand the challenges small business owners face in today's environment. We want to remove the barriers to their success by investing in and working with organizations like the U.S. Chamber, which have a proven track record of demonstrating thought leadership as well as change."

As part of the two year agreement, Sam's Club will help to sponsor more than a dozen small business events with local chamber offices to make resources and best practices available to small business owners and operators to ensure their success and growth. Sam's Club will launch a cost savings toolkit on the Chamber website to help small businesses better manage and boost their bottom-line and sponsor the U.S. Chamber Small Business of the Year Award. More than half of this year's winners are Sam's Club Business Members. In addition, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has appointed Catherine Corley, VP small business insights and marketing at Sam's Club to the U.S. Chamber Council of Small Business.