Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) will tour Graham Manufacturing, a local business that engineers vacuum and heat transfer equipment for process industries and energy markets worldwide. The equipment provided by Graham helps other companies create everyday products such as synthetic fibers, petroleum products, paper, steel and fertilizers. Hawley has been a proponent of small businesses and local economic development since he was first elected to the Assembly in 2006. He will be talking and asking questions of small-business owners to better gain perspective on the successes and struggles they face everyday. His experience will influence how he shapes small-business initiatives in Albany. Small businesses, Hawley says, are the backbone of New York State’s economy.