This week, as our calendars mark eight years since the attacks of September 11, 2001, I think about how our country pulled together and responded.  In particular, I think about the reaction of some small businesses.  My friend, Hector Barreto, was head of the U.S. Small Business Administration in 2001 and helped coordinate the economic disaster recovery effort.  He used to tell a remarkable story about a small business owner near Ground Zero who was sweeping up broken glass just days after the attacks and was determined to re-open.  The man told Hector he wanted to open his business so the terrorists could not claim victory by shutting him down. 

Mike Nobis ran a printing business half-way across the country, in Quincy, Illinois.  Like so many Americans, Mike wanted to help and to show his appreciation for America's heroes, the fire fighters, so he decided to print red, white and blue "God Bless America" posters.   The local radio station announced their availability and at 8:00am September 13, a long line of cars waited for the posters outside the fire station on Vermont Street fire.  By 8:30, all 20,000 of the posters were gone.  Throughout that week, JK Creative Printers ended up printing more than 90,000 posters.   

Mike sent me a poster and it still reminds me of the spirit that makes our country great. 

What is your story from September 11?

Tom Sullivan is part of a growing government affairs practice at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough. Tom is a Senior Fellow in Regulatory Studies at the Institute for Liberty, serves on the Advisory Board of the NFIB Small Business Legal Center, and is an advisor for the Center for Small Business and the Environment.