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4<br />

C H A P T E R<br />

The Local Imperative<br />

Leveling the Playing Field<br />

Before we meet the innovators (and a couple <strong>of</strong> old standbys)<br />

who are creating new models for local investing, it is useful to take<br />

a closer look at what types <strong>of</strong> small businesses we are talking about<br />

and why supporting them is so important to our prosperity and<br />

well- being. Defi ning what exactly constitutes a small business can<br />

be tricky—and ripe for manipulation.<br />

The Small Business Administration (SBA) defi nes a small business<br />

as a concern that is “organized for pr<strong>of</strong>i t; has a place <strong>of</strong> business<br />

in the United States; makes a signifi cant contribution to the U.S.<br />

economy through payment <strong>of</strong> taxes or use <strong>of</strong> American products,<br />

materials or labor; is independently owned and operated; is not<br />

dominant in its fi eld, on a national basis; and is no larger than SBA’s<br />

small business size standard for its industry.” 1<br />

A defi nition that only a bureaucrat could love.<br />

Generally, the size cut<strong>of</strong>f is 500 employees. But employee headcount<br />

can be misleading. A hedge fund, for example, may have<br />

47

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