Assemblymember Ian Calderon and the Internet Association Highlight the Internet’s Positive Impact on Whittier Small Businesses

Washington, D.C. – Today, Assemblymember Ian Calderon (D-Whittier) and the Internet Association led a small business crawl in Whittier, California. The crawl featured three local businesses that use the Internet to expand their customer base, increase economic growth, and boost job opportunities in the community.

“As someone who has worked extensively to support businesses here in Whittier, I have seen first hand the powerful role that the Internet can play in driving entrepreneurship and innovation across our community,” said Assemblymember Ian Calderon. “I am proud to see these small businesses continuing California’s long-established tradition of embracing Internet-enabled technologies to connect with millions of potential customers around the globe, improve operations, and create jobs for hardworking folks in Whittier and across the state.”

The tour highlighted a wide cross-section of businesses in Whittier:

• Shop the Runway is an online retailer of affordable clothing influenced by Hollywood fashion icons. In addition to their company website, they use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram to connect with customers and promote their products on a regular basis. Posts on their Facebook and Twitter accounts showcase new items and in-store or online sales, as well as other events.

• Setà dine:lounge was established in 2009. With over three thousand likes and nearly twenty thousand check-ins on Facebook, Setà uses social media to engage with its growing customer base and boost business opportunities. It is a family-owned contemporary dining establishment founded with the idea of bringing “a little Pasadena and West LA to the Whittier Community.” The menu at Setá features steakhouse favorites showcasing critically acclaimed Executive Chef Hugo Molina’s Modern American Cuisine with Spanish and Asian influences. Setá uses sustainable farming and organically grown produce resources.

• Casita del Pueblo uses multiple platforms to promote merchandise and provides customers the ability to order online using a variety of Internet-enabled payment methods. Their online store features seasonal works of art and has special collections dedicated to Frida Kahlo and Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The shop features apparel, jewelry, home decoration items, music, and above all, works of art by local artists reflecting the vibrancy of current Latino culture. “These three businesses in Whittier showcase the immense potential the Internet provides for boosting growth in communities across California and throughout the country,” said Robert Callahan, California Executive Director of the Internet Association. “In a global economy that grows more connected everyday, the Internet provides businesses small and large with powerful resources and tools necessary to reach new customers and expand their operations in markets around the world.” The Internet Association, which serves as the unified voice of the Internet economy, has previously hosted small business crawls in Fresno, Fremont, El Segundo, and around the United States.

“These three businesses in Whittier showcase the immense potential the Internet provides for boosting growth in communities across California and throughout the country,” said Robert Callahan, California Executive Director of the Internet Association. “In a global economy that grows more connected everyday, the Internet provides businesses small and large with powerful resources and tools necessary to reach new customers and expand their operations in markets around the world.”

The Internet Association, which serves as the unified voice of the Internet economy, has previously hosted small business crawls in Fresno, Fremont, El Segundo, and around the United States.

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