More than 130 small business owners traveled to Washington, DC, on Nov. 3 to bring a message of support for healthcare reform to White House officials and members of Congress.

They came from 24 states and started their day with a morning press conference on Capitol Hill with Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman of the Senate Heath, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; Sen. Mary Landreiu (D-LA), chairwoman of the Committee on Small Business and entrepreneurship, and Rep. Deborah Halvorson (D-IL).

The next stop was the White House, where the business owners met with Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services, and Karen Mills, administrator of the Small Business Administration. From there the group headed out to visit their senators and representatives to explain why America's small businesses need real healthcare reform.

The businesspeople included landscapers, chocolate makers, home inspectors and owners of nail salons, cafes, bookstores, fishing boats, shoe stores and funeral parlors.

The event was cosponsored by several major business and consumer groups, including Small Business Majority.

Read the White House blog coverage of the event