JACKSON COUNTY, IL (WSIL) - Monday is the start of Small business week. It's been going on for 50 years with the goal in mind to showcase the many small businesses that help make communities thrive.
"Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S.," said Amy Dion, Small Business Specialist with the Small Business Development Center in Carbondale.
That equates to about 90 percent of businesses falling in that category.
"Communities, and especially rural communities," said Dion. "It's hard to get some of those big box stores in there. So these little mom-and-pop shops are, are really the vitality of those communities."
A small business consists of 500 or fewer which as Dion points out is a lot, but most fall into a category where they're employing far fewer people yet making a difference in their communities.
"The nice thing about small businesses is, they invest in their community," said Dion. "They probably have lived there, they have family there, friends. So their passion goes beyond just that trait, there's a reason why somebody gets into it. It's usually passion."
That passion and dedication to customer service have helped Stewart's Auto Body in Murphysboro for the past 54 years. Jacob Stewart is the third generation to have ties with the shop, but he says it wasn't a forgone conclusion it's what he was going to do.
"Honestly, growing up, there was no, I didn't really picture myself doing this. I don't think they did either," Stewart said.
Jake's dad Craig took over back in 1995 and Jake has been working alongside him now for the better part of eight years he says it's been a blessing to be part of a third-generation business.
It's really cool, just knowing there's not that many companies out there that have made it three generations," Stewart admitted.
But owning a small business does have its challenges and one is finding workers.
"Honestly, in this industry, there are not many people doing it hardly or going into it. There are not many young people out there. I think the average age of a body technician right now is like the upper fifties and sixties."
Stewart says his shop has three people hired now putting in the best effort they can, but understaffing does mean longer wait times when it comes to getting jobs finished.
"It's affected our waiting lists for sure," Stewart noted. "It's a challenge, but it's rewarding. I had a guy last week come in here, and he is like, I've, my, your grandpa fixed one of my first cars. Your dad's fixed mine. Now you're fixing this one. It's really neat. Uh, very rewarding, challenging, stressful, but rewarding."
