Small Business Owner From Chester County Gets An Invite To The White House

By Jericka Duncan

CHESTER COUNTY (CBS) - Mandy Cabot showed us how she modeled her black patent leather Dansko shoes for President Obama.

"It was the opportunity of a lifetime," said Cabot.

This past Tuesday, Cabot and 14 other small business owners from across the country were invited to the White House for a meeting about the economy.
She says the President spent about an hour with the group explaining why maintaining tax cuts for the middle class was especially important for small businesses owners.

"Should the tax cuts for the middle class not be extended we are at risk of loosing $200 billion in consumer spending in 2013," said Cabot. "That's huge, our business revolves around consumer spending."

She started her West Grove business with her husband in 1990. Cabot discovered a comfortable clog shoe at a small store in Denmark while visiting her husband's family. She says they started bringing home dozens of the shoes in suitcases and selling them out of a Volvo station wagon.

"We decided to start our own company," said Cabot. "Dansko is literally translated as Danish shoe." Cabot says the 100 percent employee owned company now grosses more than $150 million a year with 185 workers.