Fed’s Powell Gets Earful From Small Businesses ‘Blindsided’ by High Prices

In Pennsylvania tour, entrepreneurs list worries to Fed chair
Inflation, rates, lack of workers are among the top concerns

Patrick Harker, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, right, and Jerome Powell, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, second right, during a walking tour in the Central Market in York, Pennsylvania, US, on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. Photographer: Ryan Collerd/Bloomberg

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By Steve Matthews

October 2, 2023 at 9:32 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell got an earful from small-business owners complaining about inflation, high interest rates and problems finding workers during a walking tour in Pennsylvania on Monday.

“We’re a little blindsided,” said Julie Flinchbaugh Keene, co-owner of Flinchbaugh’s Orchard & Farm in York, Pennsylvania. “Predictability is just gone. It’s very hard to operate a business in a world where there’s not predictability. And so that’s been a bit of a challenge.”