On Thursday, May 7, 2026, Governor Matt Meyer visited Milford in celebration of Small Business Month. While in town, Meyer signed to Executive Orders aimed at helping small businesses succeed. The first stop he made in town was at Living Well Nutrition in the Riverwalk Shopping Center.
“I’m here to support National Small Business Week and particularly Living Well and Stephanie,” Meyer said. “But this customer lost 61 pounds by coming here regularly.”
Meyer was talking about Chuck Ivins who regularly visits the location. The owner, Stephanie Kearns, told Meyer she lost 55 pounds which led her into owning the business.
“I love the not only the health aspect, but the community aspect of this,” Kearns said. “Wen this opportunity came up for Milford, since I live in Dover, I jumped at it. I have been welcomed in the community, and I have created a lot of friendships.”
Meyer reminded those in attendance that 30 or 40 years ago, the economy everywhere was small business.
“They are being overrun by people outside our state and sometimes outside our country,” Meyer said. “We have to make sure we come together and support people like her. We’re here to talk about how we as a government can make sure her interactions with government are easy. Make sure she has access to lines of credit and things like that, when you need financing, when you need labor and help. But another thing we can do is to come in here and keep buying your shakes and your teas.”
Meyer stated that he had opened two businesses and was well aware of the struggles.
“I remember four months into the first one, I was exhausted and someone told me ‘you know, you can just go get a job,” reminding me that I could just go get that 9 to 5, have health insurance and then you don’t have to worry about all that stuff. But it takes a certain kind of person to have a greater vision. And a lot fo times, it’s not just about you, but the community.”
After leaving Living Well Nutrition, Meyer visited Stone Nation, a countertop company. Stone Nation is female and minority owned.
“In 1963, President Kennedy designated this week as National Small Business Week,” Meyer said. “That was 63 years ago and if you imagine what running a small business was like in 1963, it’s very different today. My grandmother, back then, owned a clothing store and I remember her telling me that she has to compete with everyone within 20 to 30 miles. Today, small business also competes with Amazon or eBay, so competition is no longer measured by miles but by countries.”
A few months ago, Meyer signed Executive Order 18 which streamlined private interaction with businesses who had to work with the state government. It creates a fast track system for important projects and is designed for businesses of all sizes, not just large, multi-million-dollar companies. While at Stone Nation, Meyer signed Executive Order 21 which created the Office of Small Business within the Division of Small Business. The office will be led by Anastasia Jackson who is from Milford. He also signed Executive Order 22 which diversifies suppliers for the state.
“We have to make sure that when we do government contracting, hundreds of millions of dollars every year from the state, we want to make sure everybody has equal access,” Meyer said. “Over the years, companies with more resources from wealthier places in our state and some out of state tend to benefit more from government contracts than smaller companies in Delaware.”
Living Well Nutrition is located in the Riverwalk Shopping Center with an address of 229 Northeast Front Street. Visit them online or give them a call at 302-265-2465. You can also reach them via email.
Stone Nation is located at 30 Southwest Front Street in Milford. Learn more by visiting them online or giving them a call at 302-244-0192.
