About Us

Our work is based on a groundbreaking new book entitled Saving the American Dream by Louis Hernandez, Jr., an author, award-winning entrepreneur, policy advisor and highly respected business executive who currently serves as the President and CEO of Avid Technology. He sits on the board of several major corporations, including HSBC North America Holdings Inc., Avid Technology Inc., and ScoreBig Inc.

Some of our core beliefs and key factors that have motivated us to band together are as follows:

• The key to a robust job market is growth in the small business sector. When jobs are abundant in America, consumer confidence is high, creating strong economic growth and long term stability.

• More than 65% of net new jobs in America over the past 17 years – and most innovations – have come from small businesses.

• More than half of small business loans stem from community banks and credit unions, meaning our more than 14,000 community-based financial institutions provide a financial foundation for the creation of new businesses, new jobs, new opportunities and, most importantly, strong economic growth and long-term stability.

• American policies have made it more challenging than ever to start and run a small business. Excessive regulations consume valuable business resources and increase costs, making American products and services more expensive. At the same time, toughened lending standards and capital constraints make it hard for community-based financial institutions to give small businesses the credit they need to grow and hire employees.

• Policymakers continue to compound the death of the American Dream through the cumulative weight of regulations that lay heavy on community financial institutions, impeding banks from helping small businesses the country over.

• The road to economic recovery begins and ends with Main Street America through support of small businesses and community financial institutions.  Policy makers need to aid economic growth by supporting community financial institutions, not by stifling them with burdensome regulations.