Southern Tier businessmen and women told Reed they face a lot of uncertainty going forward, saying the national debt and federal regulations make it hard to grow their businesses. They told the congressman it's harder to get access to capital for hiring and investing.

Reed will take these concerns to Washington.

"We need to focus on the private sector," said Reed. "We've got to focus on the small businesses and really get government out of the way and let them do what they do best. That's what I heard today from so many people in the room. You know, just kind of 'leave us alone and we'll come up with the solutions.' "