Tariffs Loom Over White House Small Business Week Event

Small Business Person of the Year Attendee Applied for a $154,000 Tariff Refund

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- May 4, 2026 -- As President Trump prepares to deliver remarks this afternoon at the White House Small Business Summit honoring the 2026 National Small Business Week award winners, many of these businesses are actively applying for IEEPA tariffs refunds and staring down a permanent tariff regime imposed through Section 301 and 232 tariffs.

Mark Lamoncha, CEO of Humtown Products in Columbiana, Ohio, is being named the 2026 National Small Business Person of the Year. According to Business Journal Daily, Lamoncha’s company paid $154,000 in tariffs on a single 3D sand printer purchased from a Chinese manufacturer last year, after additional tariffs raised the total levy on the machine to roughly 50%.

Respondents to a new We Pay the Tariffs survey similarly report on how tariffs are preventing their small businesses from growing:

“My company is 2 years old and growth has been impossible because I can't reinvest in the business. I would be growing exponentially if not for the tariffs killing our cash flow. I can't hire new sales people, I can't expand my product line. I can't bring in more inventory because the tariff build up would bankrupt us. I maxed out a $350,000 line of credit to cover bills that the tariffs took the money away from. Tariffs are a killer.”– Jeremy Rose, Aris GET in Jasper, GA

“At the end of 2024 and into the first quarter of 2025, our business was experiencing record growth, and the outlook was never better. But we had to exercise our line of credit and credit cards because our cash flow, once strong, died. Customers were lost. The tariffs were the only factor.”– Jeff Clark, 7PSolutions in Nashville, IN

“Tariffs have created a ripple effect that goes far beyond the initial cost increases. They impact cash flow, inventory planning, supplier confidence, and overall business stability. Even after being ruled unlawful, the delay in refunds has prolonged that pressure.”– Keval Kantaria, Endless Pens in Tampa, FL

These businesses are far from alone. The SBA’s 2026 National Small Business Week awardee list includes 53 state and territory Small Business Persons of the Year and five specialty award winners. Many work in industries that rely on imported goods or components.

“Tariffs will be the elephant in the room,” said Dan Anthony, Executive Director of We Pay the Tariffs. “Nobody may raise  them with the President directly, but these businesses are applying for refunds and anxiously staring down the permanent Section 301 and 232 tariffs the Administration is planning. Instead of celebrating these businesses, and small business week, we are dealing with rising costs, refund uncertainty, and reduced manufacturing thanks to tariffs.”

“Over a thousand small businesses in our coalition have been making this point for the past year. The Supreme Court agreed in February. The administration’s job now is to make sure every dollar gets back to the businesses that paid it, and to end plans to  reimpose the same burden under a different statute.”

Small Business Interviews Available

We Pay the Tariffs can connect media with small business owners this Small Business Week from across the country who can speak to how tariffs hit their operations, what refunds would mean for their businesses and employees, and how new Section 122 tariffs continue the same burden. Contact press@wepaythetariffs.com to arrange interviews.

About We Pay the Tariffs

We Pay the Tariffs is a grassroots coalition of nearly 1,200 small businesses that advocates against tariffs. The coalition filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court challenging the legality of IEEPA tariffs. Members include restaurants, manufacturers, retailers, game companies, importers, and other enterprises from every region of the country. For more information: www.wepaythetariffs.co