(NewsUSA) – Fifty-four years ago, President John F. Kennedy signed into effect a proclamation that established a week to celebrate the contributions of small U.S. businesses. Every president since then has continued the tradition.Next month kicks off National Small Business Week, which recognizes America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. This year it runs from April 30 to May 6. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.To help celebrate the week, Marc Saltzman, business technology expert, has partnered with KillerApps.tv (Click here to view video.) and four brands that have the tech tools and services to help small businesses grow by boosting productivity in the office or on the go.First up, mobility. BlackBerry is back with the BlackBerry KEYone, an award-winning smartphone that fuses the functionality and security you’d expect from a BlackBerry with the familiarity and versatility of Android 7.1 Nougat. This BlackBerry KEYone is made for the modern smartphone user, offering a reimagined Smart Keyboard with built-in fingerprint sensor, up to 26 hours of mixed-use battery life, and unique convenience and privacy features in what is being billed as the world’s most secure Android smartphone.It also has 4.5-inch touch display to tap and swipe through more than a million apps at the Google Play store.It goes on sale in May.To help keep your data secure on the go, Kingston has a pair of encrypted USB flash-drive solutions. With the DataTraveler 2000, no one can see what’s stored on the drive without knowing the PIN that you type on the alphanumeric keypad. The hardware-based encryption resides on the USB 3.0 drive itself — not on the host computer. It’s water- and dust-proof and available in 16, 32 and 64 gigabytes. And then there’s the DataTraveler Vault Privacy drive, which you access via password instead of keypad. Get the password wrong ten times and it’ll reformat and wipe it clean, just in case you lose it. It’s available from 4GB and up.Next up, regardless of the industry you’re in, you need a reliable multifunction printer to work faster, smarter, and more cost effectively. The Canon MAXIFY MB5420 Wireless All-In-One Printer empowers small businesses with a high-speed, high-quality, and cost-effective printer, scanner and copier. You’ll see crisp prints, such as client invoices and legal- size documents, along with features such as duplex scanning, built-in WiFi, support for a Canon app, and more. And the Canon MAXIFY MB5420 is backed by a U.S.-based customer service and support center.Finally, in celebration of National Small Business Week, The UPS Store is saluting small business owners with its first national "Pitch Off" contest. Small business owners and startups can compete for a chance to win $ 10,000 by submitting a business pitch to theupsstore.com/pitchoff.Capture a 90-second video describing your business or idea. Be sure to submit soon, as people will be able to view and vote for their favorite videos throughout the month of May. The grand prize winner will be announced June 6. Throughout the year, visit one of more than 4,500 locally owned and operated UPS Store locations, to find tools and resources to support your growing business.For more information, visit www.KillerApps.tv. NewsUSA
