PEOS ARE SMB GROWTH ENABLERS

Many of you reading this will soon head to Marco Island for NAPEO’s 2026 Annual Conference and Marketplace. As always, it will be a worthwhile opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, build new relationships and learn from peers.

By sharing ideas and experiences, PEO professionals strengthen not only their own organizations but also the businesses and employees who rely on them. A lesson learned by one member can become a better solution for hundreds of clients. A connection made during the conference can lead to a partnership or new approach that benefits thousands of workers.

Those connections are important because the strength of the PEO industry has always been its people, and the impact you make extends far beyond your own companies.

NAPEO’s new research demonstrates the scope of that impact. The results will be released soon but suffice it to say that the number of businesses and workers PEOs support is not insignificant. Behind those numbers are entrepreneurs pursuing an idea, family-owned companies building a legacy, growing businesses creating jobs and employees working to support their families and communities.

PEOs help make that possible, and this is the story we are telling in Washington and across all 50 state capitals.

When we advocate for PEOs, we are also advocating for the small and mid-size businesses that are the backbone of the American economy. Policies affecting PEOs ultimately affect the hundreds of thousands of employers and millions of employees PEOs support.

Our research helps us tell that story with greater clarity and credibility. It demonstrates that PEO policy is small business policy. When policymakers support a fair regulatory environment for PEOs, they help business owners comply with the law, provide competitive benefits, create jobs and grow.

That is why one of NAPEO’s strategic plan pillars calls for the industry to speak with one voice to drive an industry narrative. The true power of an association is realized when the collective voice of its members is harnessed to drive meaningful progress. If we tell the PEO story with a unified message, it will resonate further and stronger. There’s a lot of noise in Washington but speaking together is how we break through. You’ll hear much more about this initiative in the coming weeks, and I hope all of you will join us in this important effort.

As we gather in Marco Island next week, we should take pride in how far this industry has come. We should also take pride in whom that progress serves. When PEOs grow stronger, small businesses grow stronger—and so do the employees, families and communities that depend on them. That’s a story worth telling.