Enlightened President Testifies Before The US Senate On The Effects Of The Federal Government Shutdown To The Small Business Community

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Enlightened, Inc. ("Enlightened"), a leading provider of Information Technology (IT) consulting services, is pleased to announce that its President and CEO, Mr. Antwanye Ford testified before the United States Senate's Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship on the effects of the Federal government shutdown to the small business community.

United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, held a hearing on Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at 2:30 p.m. in SR-428A entitled "Small Businesses Speak: Surviving the Government Shutdown?".  The hearing provided a forum for small business owners to tell the committee how the federal government shutdown is hurting their businesses. Mr. Ford's remarks reinforced the stark reality faced by small businesses as the federal government shutdown continues. The C-SPAN webcast can be viewed in its entirety here.

"As a result of the shutdown, Enlightened has made difficult choices in the way we manage our human capital.  Permanent layoffs due to government shutdowns have become common place – forcing us to say goodbye to some of our brightest and most productive employees. We were forced to immediately furlough two employees due to the loss of work at the Department of Justice and another 25 employees in the 14 days since October 1st," said Antwanye Ford, Enlightened's President & CEO. In response to how the shutdown impacts the U.S. economy, Mr. Ford also said, "small businesses will not be paid for the work that we've lost now.  They [employees] also lose confidence in small businesses which are the innovators of America; that is not a pinprick."

About Enlightened
Enlightened, Inc. is an information technology (IT) and management consulting firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. Enlightened provides support to federal and local government agencies and commercial customers. Enlightened holds GSA IT-70 and MOBIS schedule contracts, and is certified as a Small Business by the Small Business Administration.

SOURCE Enlightened, Inc.