Patch - Facebook Embeds Itself Into Local Economy

Rep. Eshoo recently spoke with Austin Walsh, a reporter for the Palo Alto Patch, at a small business fair hosted by Facebook.  An excerpt of the article is below:

Hundreds of local business owners from across the Peninsula flocked to Menlo Park Thursday, hoping to learn new ways that Facebook can help them reach new audiences.

The lunchtime affair began with a brief speech by Congresswoman Anna Eshoo Thursday afternoon at the Quadras Conference Center, located at 2400 Sand Hill Road.

Eshoo said local businesses could grow and thrive through proper utilization of the social media titan, which recently relocated its headquarters to Menlo Park. She said Facebook's willingness to network with local businesses, through the help of alliances with organizations such as the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce and National Federation of Independent Business, showed the company's commitment to connect with the community on the Peninsula.

Such an effort carries a legacy of caring about the region that Eshoo said was established by David Packard, a co-founder of the Palo Alto-based tech giant Hewlett-Packard.

But even as Facebook augments uber-succesful technology companies in Silicon Valley, the vitality of small businesses remains paramount to the economic health of the region, said Eshoo.

"Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy," Eshoo said.

The congresswoman said her advocacy for small business stems from the time in her childhood when she worked in her father's store, which sold jewelry and watches. Her father would have enjoyed the access that the entrepreneurs have to the market through technology and social media, she said.

"I wish he were in the audience," Eshoo said.

To read the full article, please click here.