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Senator Ricardo Lara honored DTLB local business, B Room Barber Salon, as Senate District 33 Small Business of the Year for its hard work and dedication to the community.

“Small businesses are the heart and soul of our communities, and they bring a lot more than jobs to our cities,”said Senator Ricardo Lara in a statement. “The B Room is building bridges to Long Beach’s LGBT community and showing how immigrant-owned businesses are bringing economic vitality and inclusion.”

Like any other start-up business, the B Room faced many struggles in the beginning. To help build ties in downtown Long Beach, the family-owned business created the “It’s a Drag to Give” event, which is now an annual fundraiser that has benefited numerous non-profit organizations in the City of Long Beach.

Last year, they were able to donate over 100 jackets, numerous toys and cash to the Women’s Center of Long Beach, Mental Health America and the LGBTQ Center Long Beach.

“As an immigrant, I moved to this country with the hope and the aspiration for a better life for my kids. Opening The B Room gave me this opportunity,” said Rocio Rached-Bangle, owner of The B Room. “I am so grateful to Senator Ricardo Lara for recognizing our hard work. I am honored to receive this award and for the chance to continue to give back to the community that I love, Long Beach.”

The 2017 California Small Business Day honored 85 small businesses for their contribution to the state’s economy. Small business contributes to 75% of California’s gross state product and over half of the state’s private sector jobs. From hardware stores to manufacturers, small businesses are ingrained in California’s communities and economy.

Senator Lara is chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and was first elected to the Legislature in 2010. He represents nearly 1 million residents of Senate District 33, which includes Long Beach and the Southeast Los Angeles cities of Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Lakewood, Lynwood, Maywood, Paramount, Signal Hill, South Gate, and much of Los Angeles.