Chair's Message

BY NICK LAMBROW

In this issue of Delaware Business magazine, you’ll learn about this year’s Marvin S. Gilman Superstars in Business winners—the four Delaware small businesses and nonprofit organizations recognized for their outstanding achievements and model approaches to business and management.

Each honoree has been in business at least 40 years. One of them, Jewish Family Services of Delaware Inc., was founded in 1899. They represent a range of industries and provide various services to their customers and clients. Each has a unique, inspiring story to tell.

But they are as similar as they are varied—each one a thread among the tapestry of Delaware’s small business community. As such, each of the Superstars in Business is dealing with similar challenges faced by many other small businesses in Delaware. They are stretched by similar forces, bound by common objectives.

They need to find, hire, and retain top talent. They’re adjusting to a post-pandemic world. They’re dealing with the rising costs of doing business. Their clients are dealing with the rising costs of doing business. And it’s unclear when or if these forces will subside. As a result of this uncertainty, it can be difficult to plan for what lies ahead.

A recent survey by the National Federation of Independent Businesses found that half of small-business owners still can’t fill job openings, and about onethird say inflation is their biggest worry.

All this to say, Delaware’s small businesses need our help right now— even the Superstars among them. The small restaurants and shops that line beach roads along the shore. The mom-and-pop retailers in downtown Wilmington, Dover, and Georgetown. The manufacturers and suppliers in Seaford, Millsboro, and Smyrna. They need help to remain competitive, maintain employment, and make money in this challenging market.

As we approach the next legislative session at the beginning of the new year, I encourage each of you to consider what can be done to bolster Delaware’s small business community. If you own a small business, share your story and experiences. If your business services a small business, ask how you can help. If you know a small-business owner, seek to learn more about the challenges and opportunities they face.

I’m proud of the work M&T Bank and other banks in the state continue to do in Delaware to help startups and other small businesses gain their footing. M&T continues to be among the state’s top SBA lenders and among the top lenders nationwide.

So, while reading about this year’s Superstars in Business in the pages that follow, think about how the trade winds of the economy are steering Delaware’s small businesses and what could be done to calm the waters in front of them.

Nick Lambrow is the Delaware regional president of M&T Bank.