Comment from Jericho Home Improvements

To Whom It May Concern, My name is Mindy Richardson, and I am writing not as a political voice, economist, or large corporation but as someone helping lead a small business whose employees’ livelihoods depend on decisions like this. I understand and respect the desire to strengthen American industry and support domestic manufacturing. I truly believe most Americans, including small business owners, want to see U.S. businesses thrive. But I am pleading with you to consider the unintended consequences these proposed tariffs and quotas on quartz surface products could have on thousands of small businesses across the country. Businesses like ours are not massive conglomerates with endless margins, deep reserves, or the ability to absorb sudden and significant increases in material costs. We are local employers. We are families. We are small businesses trying to survive in an economy that has already become increasingly difficult to navigate. Every day, we fight to keep jobs stable for the people who depend on us: craftsmen, installers, office staff, project managers, salespeople, warehouse teams, customer service representatives. Real people with mortgages, children, medical bills, and futures tied to the health of companies like ours. The reality is simple: if these restrictions move forward, companies like ours will be forced into decisions we never imagined having to make—including closing parts of our operation and eliminating jobs. We cannot simply raise prices indefinitely in a market that’s already strained by affordability concerns. Customers delay projects. Financing becomes harder. Margins shrink. Jobs disappear. And once layoffs begin or businesses close, the damage is not easily repaired. For many of us, there is no “bounce back.” Small businesses do not have the luxury of weathering massive cost increases for years while hoping conditions improve. As a woman helping lead a business, I can tell you this weighs heavily on me. I know our employees personally. I know their spouses. Their children. I know who is quietly struggling, who just bought a home, who is caring for aging parents, and who depends on their paycheck to simply keep life moving forward. I lay awake at night wondering what happens if we can no longer protect the people who helped build our business. These are not abstract statistics to me. When policymakers discuss trade actions, I worry the conversation becomes centered around industries and numbers while unintentionally overlooking the people standing behind them. I fear what happens if businesses like ours are forced into impossible decisions: reducing staff, delaying growth, cutting opportunities, or, in the worst cases, shutting doors entirely. And it won’t stop with one company. Entire local economies are built on small businesses supporting one another. I respectfully ask that you carefully consider whether these safeguard measures will truly achieve their intended outcome or risk devastating the very backbone of the American economy: small business. We are not asking for special treatment. We are simply asking to survive. Please hear the voices of the thousands of small businesses and employees whose futures may be permanently altered by this decision. Respectfully, Mindy Richardson Jericho Home Improvements Kansas City Metro