MARENGO – B & K Power Equipment Inc. is participating in the third annual Small Business Saturday on Nov. 24. Small Business Saturday is a day for dedicating a portion of holiday shopping to local, independently owned small businesses.

American Express, the founding sponsor of Small Business Saturday, created the national program in 2010 in response to small business owners’ most pressing need: more demand for their products and services. Last year more than 100 million consumers “shopped small,” generating millions of dollars in sales for local merchants. Organizers are expecting even greater participation this year.

According the the Small Business Administration, small businesses have generated 64 percent of net new jobs over the past 15 years and employ just over half of all private sector employees.