As a small business owner, La Shawn has championed numerous bills aimed at supporting other small business owners and entrepreneurs and their communities. La Shawn is responsible for creating the state’s Small Business Empowerment and Workforce Development Task Force, and he championed laws that ensure the state’s smallest businesses have access to state contracts and procurement opportunities. La Shawn also established a micro-loan program for qualified ex-offenders who are establishing their own businesses.
During the Great Recession, La Shawn focused his efforts on supporting businesses and community banks that were greatly impacted by the economic downturn, helping them to secure rescue funding to ensure their doors remained open to the communities they serve.
La Shawn formed the State Representative La Shawn K. Ford’s Business Growth and Creation Committee, with the mission of promoting economic vitality by providing advice, training, resources, and research to entrepreneurs and businesses to increase the number of strong small businesses and create new jobs. He has hosted countless small business summits and job fairs to support local communities.