Small Businesses Favor 60 MPG Fuel Economy Standard

According to a Sept. 20 poll conducted by the Small Business Majority, 80 percent of small businesses support increasing the fuel economy requirements to 60 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2025. This finding was part of a larger study assessing the position of small businesses toward clean energy initiatives.

From AAIA Capital Report

When asked about the Obama administration’s July 29 announcement proposing corporate average fuel economy standards of 54.5 mpg by 2025, the vast majority of small businesses favored a higher standard as a means to further cut their energy costs.

Other findings from the study were equally interesting. Eighty-seven percent of respondents supported the notion of increasing fuel standards now, 73 percent maintained that the government should do more to force automakers to innovate and 71 percent were of the opinion that automakers are not doing enough to innovate. In response to greenhouse gas emission standards being tacked on to the new fuel economy requirements, 76 percent of small businesses approved of EPA’s initiative to create these standards under the Clean Air Act. Despite these findings, 86 percent still do not view the federal government as an ally or believe that it understands their needs. Of the 1,257 businesses polled in this study, only 3 percent were in the transportation sector.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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