By Eleanor Kennedy
Nashville Business Journal, April 29, 2016
LetterLogic founder and CEO Sherry Stewart Deutschmann has long been a vocal advocate of increasing the federal minimum wage. But this week she made the pitch to a new audience for her: members of the U.S. House of Representatives. ... Deutschmann was one of three entrepreneurs who, along with an analyst from the Economic Policy Institute, addressed Democratic members of the education and workforce committee in a forum on April 27. ...
[Deutschmann spoke] to "the business perspective of increasing minimum [the] wage," during this week's forum. When she increased employees' starting wage to $16 an hour, both revenue and profit increased. Higher wages drive improved employee morale and loyalty, she argues, which in turn improves customer service and satisfaction.
Deutschmann, whose personal and company success have earned her a high-profile public persona and a spot on the National Women's Business Council, said a few of the congressmen asked if the higher wages led to curtailed benefits. At LetterLogic, where employees receive a wide variety of unusual perks (like assistance with a down payment on a home), that's certainly not true, she said.
There were some committee members who seemed to feel some skepticism about an increase, Deutschmann said, but the audience was generally a "friendly" one. That may not be true across the aisle, but the entrepreneur said she's still optimistic there will be some kind of change to the minimum wage soon, even if it takes a while to implement.
"I'm optimistic that the the human spirit will prevail," Deutschmann said. "Businesses will see that it's really good for their business."
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