JUNEAU, Alaska, Sept. 26, 2016—At a special presentation late last week, the voice of Alaska small business honored Anchorage Sen. Cathy Giessel and Anchorage Rep. Lance Pruitt with two of only three Outstanding Legislator awards that NFIB has given after the 2015-2016 session of the Legislature.
In presenting Giessel and Pruitt with their award, Chris Nettels, president of GeoTek Alaska, Inc. and a member of the National Federation of Independent Business’ Alaska leadership council told Giessel and Pruitt, “You make working with the Legislature a true pleasure. I must express my appreciation to you and your staff for the open door and help that you always offer to members of the NFIB/Alaska.” The ceremony was held at Nettels’ business.
NFIB is the nation’s largest and leading small-business association with 350,000 members nationwide, including 2,000 in Alaska. Small business represents an overwhelming majority of the total businesses in Alaska and employs over half of the private sector workforce in the state. The Guardian of Small Business is given to legislators who, in addition to a strong pro-small-business voting record, continually stand tall in protecting Main Street firms in Alaska.
“Whether in the deal-cutting side rooms of the Legislature, or in committee, or on the floor of the House or Senate, Cathy Giessel and Lance Pruitt are always alert to the concerns of small businesses and can be counted on to support their issues,” said Nettels. “They subscribe to the philosophy that government should not make the survival of small businesses in Alaska more difficult than it already is. They understand that small businesses are unique in their needs and contributions to Alaska’s economy; they are not just small versions of big business.”
Nettels also noted that while BP and ConocoPhillips are seen as the big economic players in Alaska, it’s the state’s small businesses that do the heavy lifting – creating new local jobs, providing customer services, and keeping the engine of our state economy moving forward. Not an easy task, he pointed out, especially given the burden these job creators face from government bureaucracy, taxes and unnecessary and duplicative regulations.
“Representative Lance Pruitt and Senator Cathy Giessel are especially effective in stopping mandates that limit small businesses’ ability to employ more Alaskans. Their help to NFIB/Alaska on important issues such as workers compensation, regulations, taxes, and transportation issues affecting small businesses is the reason that has earned each of them the NFIB Guardian Award.”
NFIB also presented Guardian of Small Business awards to Alaska’s Congressional delegation. Click here for the story.
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For more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. NFIB’s educational mission is to remind policymakers that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses; they have very different challenges and priorities.
National Federation of Independent Business/Alaska
P.O. Box 34761
Juneau, AK 99801
907-723-6667
Twitter: @NFIB_AK
