Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, May 4, 2016
Higher pay: Angela O’Byrne, Louisiana’s Small Business Person of the Year, is calling on U.S. policymakers to increase the federal minimum wage to at least $12 by 2020. In a statement, O’Byrne, who is also a runner-up for the National Small Business Person of the Year, says the federal minimum wage has been stagnant for far too long. “Miring full-time workers in poverty makes absolutely no sense from a business perspective,” says O’Byrne, who is president and CEO of the New Orleans-based Perez, APC. “Paying fair wages boosts consumer demand and spending, which drives job creation and forges stronger businesses and communities. Gradually increasing the federal minimum wage to at least $12 by 2020 will create an economic ripple effect benefiting businesses large and small.”