Former State Representative and current Illinois Department of Agriculture Assistant Director Don Moffitt made one thing perfectly clear as he spoke to the Entrepreneurial Support Network of West Central Illinois’s annual Small Business Day Awards Luncheon today Tuesday
“I’m not speaking for the Illinois Department of Agriculture administration today, but was invited here to share some of my experiences and visions in regard to small businesses.”
Moffitt, though, did touch on something political in his speech.
“We do need a state budget. There’s no question about it. That would bring some certainty to doing business in Illinois. And the governor certainly pushing hard to get a budget that is important, so we know where we’re at. And it doesn’t cause any further erosion of credit rating, bond raiting, et cetera.”
The Gilson Republican encouraged small business owners to persevere…just like John Deere did when it started out as a small business. Moffitt also spoke to the Knox County Farm Bureau on Tuesday.
The animal disease testing lab near Carl Sandburg College was slated to close at the end of the last month, after positions weren’t filled and work was sent to other state sites, partially due to the state budget impasse.
But, Moffitt says there is still a glimmer of hope, “My objective is just to continue to work on your behalf… working right now on a reuse of the animal disease lab out here by Carl Sandburg College. I hope that works out great, that’s all I can say about that at this point.”
A state ag department spokesperson has not yet returned our request for comment.
Moffitt otherwise told the Small Business Day Awards Luncheon that small business owners should, among other things, never discount any idea they have for growth as not being a good one.
