Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro Announces $17.2 Million Investment For Small Businesses

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]Ziger and their team here to West Reading today. I'd also like to recognize and thank the elected officials, local leaders, business owners, community partners, and members of the press who are here with us this morning. Your presence matters because days like today are not just about one announcement. They're about the partnership that helps communities like ours move forward. So, we do have a couple. Uh, Commissioner Sanony, thank you so much for being here.

[00:00:26]>> Where is Dante?

[00:00:31]Dr. Dr. Barbara, the CEO of Reading Hospital. I see you.

[00:00:38]>> Michael Stern, the CEO of Tower Health.

[00:00:44]We of course have Jani Sapa Freightz.

[00:00:47]>> Y >> Judy Schwank, >> uh Dr. Potti, and I'm so sorry if I butchered your name. Thank you so much for being here.

[00:00:59]We have Mark Doggery. Thank you so much.

[00:01:03]We also have a couple members of our council. Uh Denise Dropnik.

[00:01:10]We have uh Patrick Keg.

[00:01:13]>> I know that guy.

[00:01:15]>> I don't know.

[00:01:16]>> Vicky Hower Gaff.

[00:01:19]Sorry if I butchered your name. And we have our council president, Ryan Leewaver. Wherever you are, I can't see you.

[00:01:30]Uh, Governor and Secretary, thank you guys so much for being here, for walking Penn Avenue, and for taking the time to see our community up close. For us, Penn Avenue is more than just a main street.

[00:01:41]It is where families come to dinner, where neighbors run into each other, where visitors discover what makes West Reading special, and where small business owners put their time, their savings, their creativity, and their courage into building something that serves the people around them. Behind every storefront is a person, a family, a dream, a risk, and a story. And they're very passionate about it. If you're questioning that, you can ask Max from Symbiote. He's here. He just ate 36 year old Bubblegum.

[00:02:13]>> There he is.

[00:02:14]>> Thanks for being here, Max. Uh, but we also have people like JD Turner and a lot of other people on the business uh on the in the business that aren't here today, but we are putting in the hard work and the passion, the efforts to make the Main Street what it is. And we have people on and off the avenue that are doing just that. That is what makes Main Street so important. They're not just economic engines. They are places where people feel connected. They are places where communities build identity, pride, and possibility. And here in West Reading, we know that strong communities are built through moments of celebration, but also through moments of hardship. Last time many of us saw Governor Shapiro here in West Reading um was during one of the most difficult moments our community has ever faced after the Palmer disaster. He came here then not just for a headline, but to stand with people who who were hurting, to listen and to show care when our community needed it most, and that matters. Thank you so much for that.

[00:03:13]And it says something when leaders show up not only in moments of crisis, but also in moments of rebuilding, investment, and hope. Today is one of those moments. When we talk about cutting costs, delivering real economic relief and investing in main streets and small businesses. We are really talking about people. We are talking about the business owners trying to grow. that the workers earning a paycheck, the family deciding where to spend their weekend, and the young person seeing possibility in their own hometown. We are talking about communities like West Reading and others very much like us. We are only one of 56, I believe, that are grateful to receive the the help and support that we're getting from the governor's office. We are proud of this burough. We are proud of Penn Avenue. We are proud of the business owners, workers, residents, and community partners who continue to believe in this place and invest in the future. Governor Shapiro and Secretary Siger, thank you for choosing West Reading. Thank you for continuing to show up for our community and thank you for recognizing the main streets like ours are worth investing it in in. With that, it's my honor to welcome Governor Josh Shapiro.

[00:04:18]>> Thank you.

[00:04:21]Thank you, Mayor.

[00:04:23]I want to say it is good to be back in West Reading and it's good to be here on a day where we can celebrate good things. And the mayor mentioned um that I was here after the Palmer disaster a couple times and I want you to know that that's the first time I got to know your mayor. Um someone who in a moment of crisis um really stepped up and and put this community on her back. obviously a first responder herself. She understood what needed to be done um in terms of the disaster and the specific response there and we were of course proud to lend whatever resources she needed. But beyond uh just that she put a community that was grieving on her back and demonstrated real leadership. Um, I think at a time where people can understandably get a little bit cynical about politics, um, you are blessed with a leader here, um, who is someone who stands up, who does the right thing, and who's got the community's interest, um, in her mind and in her heart at all times. So, mayor, proud to partner with you and grateful to be here in Thank you.

[00:05:35]I'm I'm here today um to make an important announcement thanks to the power of partnerships. You can't have two better partners in the legislature than the people you send uh to serve you in Harrisburg. Your outstanding state senator, Judy Schwank, um she's been at this for a minute and let me tell you something, her seniority matters. Um the work she does matters and she is a trusted voice in my ear and someone who leads the way in the state senate to get important things done including what we're here to talk about today. Senator Schwank, thank you for your leadership and thank you for your representative Frees um may not have the seniority that Senator Schwank has, but let me tell you something. She got a lot of muscle. She is literally the deciding vote in the House of Representatives.

[00:06:28]All the good things we're here to talk about today happened because of that deciding vote in the House of Representatives. Uh, and she's your state representative and she's my friend and does an outstanding job for you, Rep. Thank you very very much. Thank you.

[00:06:45]I I wanted to be here today because I I believe in Main Streets. I believe they're the beating heart of a community and I think you can tell a lot about a broader community, a bigger county um but by walking its main street and and seeing its vitality and seeing how well the businesses are doing there, how joyful the business owners are and how happy the pedestrians are and and the people who are going shopping. These really are the beating hearts of our communities. I think they are the economic strength of a community whether it's rural, urban or suburban. You go to all kinds of different towns across our Commonwealth and they all have a main street. Now the main streets may look a little bit different. In Philly they're multi-story and some of our rural towns there are single level buildings but they all represent the heart and soul of a community. And I believe these are uh areas that are deserving of investment.

[00:07:42]It's one of the reasons why um early on in my tenure as your governor, I went to the legislature, including these two leaders here, and brought Democrats and Republicans together to create for the first time ever an initiative known as Main Street Matters. So far, we've seated that with $40 million to invest in our communities, to invest in our main streets, to make sure that there are more people walking here, more shops open, and more lively life and livelihood in our communities. I'm really, really proud of the way we've been able to bring Democrats and Republicans together to get this done.

[00:08:22]In the first round uh that included $20 million, we funded 81 different projects all across Pennsylvania that are already making a difference. Providing small business microloans out in rural Mercer County to building accessible housing on a main street over in Bucks County to helping dozens of communities improve lightings and sidewalks and building facades. They've done an incred they've it's had an incredible impact in our communities and it's been done thanks to the leadership of the great Secretary Rick Sager who leads the department of community and economic development.

[00:08:59]Secretary Sager joins me here. He's overseen uh DCED since the moment I walked into the governor's office and he's had a vision for what he wants to do with our main streets. And these projects that we funded early on, we're now seeing the fruits of our labor. We wanted to come here today to West Reading because this is a community that gets it. This is a community that understands the importance of having a strong Main Street and this is the place where we wanted to come to announce the next round of grants under the leadership of Secretary Siger. Today we're back here in West Reading to announce 17.2 million that is going to be dispensed to 56 more projects all across Pennsylvania. Here in West Reading, we're going to be investing $60,000 in local community revitalization to help businesses make facade improvements and make this area more inviting and more welcoming to shoppers. About six businesses are going to get new facades as a result of this grant. We heard loud and clear from the mayor, from your state senator, from your state representative, and we are delivering. And so we wanted to be here today to deliver not just for West Reading, but use this as the place where we announce these investments for all across the state. Listen, these main streets really matter. I saw it when I stopped by Simply Bold Cafe. Um got a great coffee and a cookie for later. The Holistic Skate Shop. We're going to hear from JD in a moment. What a cool place.

[00:10:32]Now I know where to get my sneakers um JD uh in the future. And then I went over to Symbiotic uh collect collectibles and um Max was referenced earlier. I want you to know um Max is a passionate store owner. I know how passionate he is because um he was willing to bet me that if we ripped a pack of cards together that he would eat the gum in the Topps baseball card pack that was made in Durier, Pennsylvania in 1990.

[00:11:04]That was 36-y old gum. And Max, if you're still alive, raise your hand, buddy. Yep. I watched Max start chewing this gum. And it it sort of turned to dust. But but he kept chewing. I said I'd give him bonus points if he blew a bubble. He could not blow a bubble. And I assume he spit the gum out. But I think it speaks to the passion that all of these small business owners have that he'd be willing to eat 36-y old gum to make the point about how much his shop means to him and how much main streets matter. I think Max actually told me he shoed there as a kid and now to be able to own the place is really special.

[00:11:43]There's a sense of pride in all of these places, including here at the Motor Club, that I think just is is something that doesn't necessarily show up on a spreadsheet, but a successful Main Street has that sense of pride, has that sense of love for a community. We hope that these Main Street Matter grants provide an extra boost to be able to strengthen the businesses that are there and bring in more businesses. You know, Secretary Sager and I have made it a priority um to invest in growing our businesses all across Pennsylvania, from our main streets to our downtowns to our rural communities. I'm proud of the success we've had from an economic development standpoint. Um we have uh the we've created the third most amount of jobs in the entire country, trailing only North Carolina and Texas. And I'm coming for North Carolina and Texas.

[00:12:34]We've got the only growing economy in the northeastern part of the United States. I think a big reason for that is the strength of our main streets. And we've done an historic level of economic development. Just during my time in office, we've done more economic development than the prior 15 years combined. In the last year, 41 billion dollars in private sector investment.

[00:12:56]Working with the private sector, we've helped create 23,000 new jobs for Pennians. Our economy is moving. We're at an unemployment rate below the national rate for the last 33 months.

[00:13:08]Good things are happening in Pennsylvania. And a big reason for that is the strength of our main streets. And so I want to say um to all of you here, thank you for what you're doing here in West Reading and thank you for letting us showcase all the great things that you're doing here. Main Streets really do matter. It's one of the reasons why I've called upon the legislature to once again work in a bipartisan manner to add $20 million more to our main street initiative. Look at all the good we've been able to do with the $40 million so far. Imagine if we could increase that by 50% uh and continue the success in our main streets all across Pennsylvania. This is bipartisan. This is common sense and this is something that we need to get done. So, I want to thank you all uh for being here today.

[00:13:54]It really is uh my pleasure now turn it over to one of our great business leaders here in West Reading who runs an awesome skate shop. You got to go check it out. And JD shared with me uh a skateboard without wheels. So Lori is not going to be mad at me for trying to skate around around the the the house, but he shared with me a really cool board um with their skate park logo on it uh which we're going to hang up um back at the office and as a reminder of all the good things happening here in West Reading uh and happening on main streets across Pennsylvania. So one of our great small business owners, JD Turner, the floor is yours.

[00:14:46]All right, everybody. Nice to see everyone out there. I know most of you out in the audience there. My name is JD Turner and I own Holistic Skate Shop in West Reading. I've been a business owner in this community for this is our 14th year in business in August. So, it's a little different being one of the businesses that opened up 14 years ago and now we're seen as one of the senior businesses in the community. I want to take this time just to thank all the representatives that are here today for working with our communities and with small business. And I also want to take a moment to issue a special thank you to Mayor Kag and Governor Shapiro for stopping by during the tragedy at the Palmer explosion four years ago. Uh that was a tough time in our community. I witnessed it and to have our leaders come and support us in in a time of crisis. Uh I just want to give them a round of applause for doing that.

[00:15:41]So just a little bit about myself. I am a graduate of Temple University. I graduated in 2012 and a passion of mine has always been skateboarding. I always wanted to open my own skateboard shop and I did that in 2012 after I graduated from Temple. Uh, one of the things that always stuck with me at our commencement ceremony at Temple University was to go out into your community. One of the commencement speakers said, "Go out in your community and do better." And that always stuck with me. So, not only did I open my shop in 2012, I started pushing for a public skate park that all the community could use. In 2013, it's been a long road. And in 2024, we opened that park, uh, which is a $2.1 million project that's 21,000 square feet in the city of Reading that kids use every day.

[00:16:26]It's one of the biggest accomplishments of my life, and it couldn't have happened without all the support from everybody in this room and from DCD and DCNR. So, I just wanted to say thank you for always helping us out. All of our representatives have gone to bat for us and wrote letters of support and helped that project because every day kids are using that project now and they're they're loving it. they're having a great time. It's it's a place where the community can gather. And I think that's something that I just want to speak on as a small business owner is that everybody in this room, we're friends and family. We're colleagues with each other. We're all here to build a better Burks. And I think that, you know, at the very small level, small business does that. I'm an example of that. Like if my shop wasn't around, there wouldn't be a skate park there. So, I think just reaching back to the community and just looking at our small business and what we can do to better our own community. I think that's something that I just want to make a point about because a lot of people these days shop online or go to bigger ecom stores or go like to the what's convenient. But sometimes if we take it back to just getting back to like our friends and our community and helping each other out, that's how we can make a difference and that's how we can support each other. Uh, I want to just make one more round of thanks and applause to everybody that came in here today and made all of this possible. And thank you to DC&R and DC for supporting our project because it's making kids' lives better every day. So, thank you.

[00:17:51]>> I'm going to turn it over now to our main street manager, Nick Price.

[00:17:54]>> Before Before you leave, do you love your business enough that you would chew a 36-y old piece of gum in order to keep it open? Yeah, I think I would.

[00:18:03]>> Wow. You hear that, Max? It's pretty amazing.

[00:18:12]>> Okay. Got to get my cheaters on here.

[00:18:15]Got my pre-planned speech here.

[00:18:17]Normally, I just speak, but today I'm going to have a pre-planned one. So, I'd like to start by thanking the governor um and his team, as well as Department of Community and Economic Development for choosing West Reading to be the official press site for Main Street Matters. It's truly an honor and we greatly appreciate it.

[00:18:31]I'd like to start by reading our mission statement and our vision statement to give a little bit of background on who we are and how we got here. Our mission statement, the West Reading Community Revitalization Foundation, a nonprofit community-based organization, is a partnership of residents, government officials, and business leaders committed to advance the vitality in our commercial areas and the livability of residential areas in West Reading. Our vision statement, Westering Community Revitalization provides community members with the tools necessary to create a healthy downtown and surrounding neighborhoods through actionoriented programs. The CRF has an energetic and empowered board of directors and provides its staff with the tools and support necessary to perform at exceptional levels. We maintain an exceptional level of service through continued measures of outcome and impact. Our work is reflected through the following characteristics.

[00:19:21]quality programs and service, sound and stable finances, strong and capable organization.

[00:19:28]What began as an idea nearly 30 years ago amongst the community and elected leaders quickly became a vision and then a reality. As I stand here today representing our foundation, I represent all the hard work that is put in by so many people throughout the years. What started as an idea has grown to a purpose and a cause. Our goal to make our downtown a thriving business district an enticing place for people to want to patronize as well as live in West Shredding has shown.

[00:19:55]The efforts of the community, our business and elected leaders has been absolutely amazing. We become a destination for people to come to. As I like to as I like to describe West Reading, we're the little postcard town.

[00:20:08]We're the Hallmark movie.

[00:20:11]Accepting the Main Street Matters facade grant will help us continue our growth by being able to help various property owners, put muchneeded improvements into their properties, and by being able to preserve their historic and architectural value while continuing to improve the overall look of our downtown. As I stand here today, it's it's an honor to represent the foundation and everyone who's worked tirelessly over the years to achieve our goal. Our efforts have certainly been noticed by local county leaders throughout the years and today I'm standing here as our efforts are being noticed at the state level. Something we never thought we'd see, but today we are here for that. We truly honored to be where we are today. When I say it takes a village, it truly does. But that's what community economic development is about. It's about everybody working together for one common goal. Once again, thank you for acknowledging our efforts and without your support, we may not be here today. Thank you.

[00:20:59]Next up, next up, I'd like to Secretary Siger.

[00:21:03]>> Oh, thanks.

[00:21:04]>> Thank you, Nick.

[00:21:05]>> All right. Well, good morning everyone.

[00:21:07]I'm Rick Siger, secretary of community and economic development here in Pennsylvania. What a great day to be here in West Reading with the governor, senator, representative, the mayor, you know, some of your great business leaders, small business owners. You know, I always say economic development is a team sport. You all have really a heck of a team here in this town, which is really one of the quintessential main streets across Pennsylvania. It's a great example of what happens when over many years a community comes together with a shared vision and shows what can happen with real strategic investment over time.

[00:21:39]Look, just take one look down Penn Avenue. You can see that businesses here are thriving. Restaurants and cafes, bars and shops of all kinds, it's all here. And for residents, for business owners, and for visitors like us, this is where people want to be. Main streets fuel our local economy. Businesses know they can succeed here. Locals and visitors alike want to come here to have a great time. And it's so often the place that forms the cornerstone of a community in our urban areas, in our rural areas, and everything in between.

[00:22:11]You know, Governor Shapiro created the Main Street Matters program a few years ago, and we've seen a bunch of success through it, not just here in West Reading, but in communities all across Pennsylvania. It's really one of our most important and strategic programs to support main streets and downtowns.

[00:22:26]Through Main Street Matters, communities can seek funding to become more dynamic, exciting, overall better places to live, work, to visit, and to innovate. And given the program's success, I'm really proud to say that we've seen significant demand for it. In fact, this year, Main Street Matters received $229 applications, requesting more than $68 million in the last application round.

[00:22:49]And of course, as you just heard from the governor today, we're so proud to invest $17.2 million in 56 projects all across PA. But I think it's fair to say that's why we've got to continue funding this critical program as the governor's proposing in this year's 2627 budget. To me, this isn't just a great program for towns across Pennsylvania. It's a program that places like West Reading deserve. The demand is there. The need is there. And I hope you'll all join us in supporting what really has become one of our marquee initiatives in the Shapiro administration. Thank you so much for having me today. And it's now my pleasure to introduce someone who literally does not need to be introduced in this room. Senator Judy Schwank.

[00:23:27]Senator.

[00:23:33]Thank you, Secretary Siger, Governor, the whole team here with us today and all of you out there, all of who had some part in making this place the place to be here in Burks County. So, I truly truly appreciate what you do. You know, I've always said it that West Reading is a jewel within our greater community, certainly within my district, the 11th district. Penn Avenue is a hub of small businesses and economic activity and it didn't happen overnight. As was mentioned earlier, I've been around a little bit. I will never forget you for saying that.

[00:24:08]>> Come on. I mean it only with respect.

[00:24:10]>> I know. I know. Just joking. Um but I have seen, you know, how things evolve, how leadership has changed in our community. But despite that, progress continues here in West Reading on our main street. It's just kind of amazing and you want to invest as a state leader because you can see that you get the bang for your buck here. The money is well worth it. We're actually they're doing the things that we need to do to not only attract people in to shop to to eat and to come to festivals, but to shop too. JD, I think you were exactly right. If we want to compete with the online, you know, shopping thing, we have to make destinations. We have to make a reason why people want to come here. It doesn't hurt that you can get a great coffee and food. Any kind of cuisine that you possibly could want here, you can get it here. So, I am truly proud to be able to support this.

[00:25:06]And I know that my colleagues in the legislature get it, too. Governor, you know this probably better than anybody.

[00:25:12]You've been all over the state. I don't think you ever stay home. But I've recently been to Kain, Pennsylvania, and to Wellsboro and to Chambersburg. All places that have developed main streets that are inviting, that bring people in, and they're all different and unique.

[00:25:30]Think what you've created here in the Commonwealth. It's made us a destination overall, and it's made it not just for people who come from the outside, but all of us who live here, places that we really want to be and that we're proud of. Representative Sepa Freightes and I have worked closely with Secretary Saiger and the Commonwealth Financing Authority to continue delivering for West Reading. We're this is not our first rodeo either in terms of funding for West Reading. Um we've really been trying to boost boost the efforts that you're doing and to be partners with you in the work that has been done. For example, if you came in this morning, you might have noticed that freshly painted railroad bridge.

[00:26:13]>> That was funding from the Commonwealth.

[00:26:15]Yeah, we finally got it done.

[00:26:19]That was the result of local share account funding that we work together on. We call each other and talk about, you know, what are the projects that need to be supported here in our community and we we and we and it works.

[00:26:33]We see that the efforts really do pay off. So the point is at the state level we understand that thriving main streets add to the quality of life of all of our residents. People love walkable communities. They love eating local and they love how each small business has its own unique fill feel and we have that all of that right here on Penn Avenue in West Reading. And it's constantly evolving. New things coming in, new places to eat, new places to go.

[00:27:04]You've done great work here and it's much appreciated and I know that we on the state level as long as I can say for myself as long as I'm a state senator won't be forever but but >> hope it's a lot longer.

[00:27:17]>> All right. Thank you, Governor. Thank you. But certainly I'm here to support you in all of the efforts that you you do. Um you're making it happen for us.

[00:27:27]You're making us a destination, a place to be, a place that we all want to come.

[00:27:32]Thank you again, Governor, as well as Secretary Siger and the whole team here for making today possible. And congratulations to all those other communities. They're going to receive some funding, too. I'll be visiting.

[00:27:44]Thank you.

[00:27:51]>> Good morning, Wenos Diaz. Um, I'm Johannes and is truly an honor to represent the 129th district. So, welcome to West Reading. Um, first I want to thank Governor Josh Shapiro.

[00:28:02]Thank you for believing in our community and and and for investing in us.

[00:28:06]Secretary Rick Siger is always such a great day when you're also in town. So, thank you. It always means resources, funding for major projects.

[00:28:14]>> Brings the checkbook.

[00:28:16]>> I know. I know you approve it though.

[00:28:17]So, >> uh, Mayor Sam Keg, thank you for being this local champion in our community.

[00:28:23]It's just been an honor to work with you and getting to know you. So, thank you.

[00:28:26]Also, Senator Judy Schwank, you know, we're we're like the fear fearless team.

[00:28:31]So, I've enjoyed my time with you and and continue our partnership and bringing the necessary resources back to our districts. Um, and to all of our local leaders, thank you for being here today and for continuing to invest in communities like West Reading. You know, as a former small business owner, I know firsthand that owning a business is not easy. Behind every storefront, as you heard uh Mayor Keg say, there's a sacrifice, there's stress, there's risk, and a whole lot of faith. That's why investments like Main Street matters are so important because when we invest in our main streets, we invest in people, we invest in jobs, we invest in local economies, and we invest in the entrepreneurs who take the risk every single day to keep our communities alive and thriving. West Reading is proof of what can happen when a community believes in itself. This corridor has become a destination, not because of luck, but because people here put in that work. And let's be honest, small businesses are the heartbeat of Pennsylvania.

[00:29:48]So, I'm grateful to see continued investments coming into communities like ours because opportunity should not only exist in big cities or corporate spaces.

[00:29:57]It should exist right here on Main Street, too. So, thank you again. Let's continue to support local and Governor Shapiro and Secretary June 20th, it's arts on the a right here on Penn A. So, please my birthday is it? Also, you got to come and we can hang out and celebrate. Thank you again. Remember, it's all on us to support our local business community. Thank you so much.

[00:30:20]>> Thank you.

[00:30:23]>> Before I take your questions, I I think um Rep. The first time I met you when we were running was outside your small business, right?

[00:30:31]>> You tried to get me to dance. I remember. I haven't forgiven you for that, but >> you did a great job.

[00:30:39]>> Yeah. I wouldn't I'm not sure that's true. But anyway, um and I thought it was interesting Senator Schwank mentioned Kaine. Um another great community. My wife Lori, our first lady, was walking their main street last week there. Um and Wellsboro, if you remember, um when Laura and I had that bright idea to promote hospitality and tourism, we loaded up all four of our kids and she and I in an RV and traveled across Pennsylvania. We stopped at Wellsboro. Max, you might find this interesting, assuming you're still alive back there, Max. Um, and they they have a gaming shop just like that. We ended up picking up a game in a shop in Wellsboro, and we used that um as we were in the RV making our way across Pennsylvania. So, just two examples of the main streets across Pennsylvania, rural, urban, suburban, yet they all are the beating heart of their communities and um really just special places. So, thank you for mentioning those. Um, with that, the mayor would be happy to take any questions from the media.

[00:31:38]>> I would like to recognize uh Justin Chot. I saw you came in. He's on our burough council. Thank you for being here. And Alex Rocher. He is very large in the community. Thank you for being here, Alex.

[00:31:47]>> Thank you guys.

[00:31:49]All right.

[00:31:52]Well, any questions?

[00:31:54]>> Any questions?

[00:31:57]>> Great.

[00:32:00]>> Mayor, you have I just have a If someone eats any bad food, we have you covered down there.

[00:32:06]>> All right, >> perfect. It's good for Max to hear.

[00:32:09]>> I have a request. Can you see this skateboard that >> Oh, yeah. Where is >> Oh, also Max, can you come forward, please?

[00:32:16]>> Where is he?

[00:32:18]>> Max also has a gift for you.

[00:32:20]>> We We have mentioned Max many times. So, >> he also has a gift for you. I saw him.

[00:32:24]Yeah, I saw him carrying it and I wanted to make sure you got it.

[00:32:27]>> All right.

[00:32:28]>> What's this, Max?

[00:32:30]>> Is a cult game called Fight a Bale. Play some campers in the woods, fight bales, and sabotage your friends.

[00:32:35]>> Oh, okay. No eating involved in this, right?

[00:32:38]>> If you run out of food, you lose the game.

[00:32:40]>> All right. Thank you, buddy.

[00:32:41]>> And no gum on that one.

[00:32:42]>> No. Good. I appreciate it.

[00:32:49]>> Look how beautiful that is. That's really amazing.

[00:32:53]>> That's awesome. JD, thank you, man.

[00:32:56]That's really, really cool.

[00:32:57]>> You're gonna have to sign it for him.

[00:32:59]So, >> yeah. Would you do that?

[00:33:00]>> I would definitely do that.

[00:33:01]>> Good. Good. We'll get you a Sharpie. All right, Ford, what do you got?

[00:33:05]>> Can't help it. It's budget month next month. Can you say anything about getting together with Senator Pitman, the Senate Republicans, and working on the budget? Are you optimistic about what?

[00:33:15]>> Our teams have been talking regularly um and and we've been meeting uh we've got a meeting coming up real soon here and I think we all recognize uh both the opportunities and the challenges that we have and um I certainly want to get it done. Look, I introduced my budget back in February. Um the House has passed it already. Uh I I don't think we needed to wait until June to uh get going in the Senate, but um here we are in June. But I will tell you what's different this year as compared to last year is we've had good ongoing dialogue. We've been meeting. We've been talking. We understand the challenges. Um and we're going to work hard to get it done. Just to follow up, the biggest single piece of re new revenue in your proposed budget was regulation and taxing skill gains. Are you optimistic you'll have something in the >> I mean, I've proposed this for the last three years. Uh, and I think it's up to the House and Senate to stand up and be clear about where they stand. Um, and they should be on the record on that.

[00:34:17]>> Anything else?

[00:34:19]>> Just press.

[00:34:21]>> Okay, great.

[00:34:22]>> Anything else, Will? Thank you everybody.