Small business owner Larry Mocha has made a name for himself locally as Tulsa’s small business ambassador. Recently, his name was heard nationwide.
Mocha, president and CEO of APSCO Inc., which manufactures pneumatic cylinders, controls and valves for the mobile, truck equipment and automotive markets, was chosen as one of 15 small business owners nationwide to be a part of CNBC’s Small Business Council.
The Small Business Council is “a diverse group of American business owners providing firsthand reporting from the frontlines of the American economy exclusively for CNBC,” said Steve Lewis, CNBC’s managing editor.
“These executives run businesses in technology, retail, casual dining, manufacturing and other verticals, employing anywhere from 27 to 450 people, generating anywhere from $400,000 to $1.1 billion in annual revenue,” Lewis said.
Members of the council will appear on CNBC’s Squawk Box once a week to address issues such as economy, health care, job creation and retention, access to credit, impact of state and federal regulations, taxes, innovation, energy and American competitiveness as they pertain to small business.
Mocha was on air Nov. 5 addressing some of these issues, although that wasn’t the first time he appeared on national TV. In August, he was on CNBC, addressing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about what Washington can and should do to assist small business owners.
“I don’t remember what I said, but if I had to do it again, I think I’d say I wish that people in Washington would understand how difficult business really is,” Mocha said. “I wish there were more businesspeople they would refer to. In fact, I wish they’d pull more small business people into Washington — pools of small business people to ask some of these political questions — because these are the guys who, every day, have to create revenue. Our goal as small businesspeople is not to create jobs; our goal is to survive and create revenue. The byproduct of our success is to create jobs.”
CNBC launched the Small Business Council on Oct. 22.
“CNBC is always looking for fresh and innovative ways to introduce more voices and points of view from the American business and investing community,” Lewis said. “As we approached this historic midterm election, the rhetoric coming from inside the beltway repeatedly referenced small business owners as a critical constituency not getting enough support from the current administration and Congress.
“We weren’t satisfied with Washington pundits speaking on the behalf of hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs and executives, each facing unique challenges and circumstances.”
Mocha said, “They get a little isolated, I think, in Washington. Maybe they see the big picture, but they don’t realize it’s people like us who are components of that big picture.”
Mocha isn’t sure when he might appear on national TV again, but he’s almost certain it will happen. He’s been told by CNBC his participation in the Small Business Council isn’t just a one-time thing. Periodically, the news station will call on him to appear on air.
“Appearance frequency will vary,” Lewis said. “The segment is initially once a week, featuring two to three members of the council, though it will likely expand before long. We also are building a special page on CNBC.com where the dialogue will be ongoing and will even drive the topics of some of the TV segments.”
Lewis said the benefit of the Small Business Council to viewers is that they get to hear people with whom they can identify speaking on issues they grapple with in their daily lives.
“They will hopefully glean some actionable takeaway that they can apply in their own businesses,” Lewis said. “As for our investor viewers, they will get a valuable read on the health of the economy from real people up and down the supply chain. These stakeholders become authentic, credible human faces and voices for a massive part of the economy often represented by nothing more than surveys or data points.”