05/06/2002
NFIB Leadership Council member Gene Henshaw has participated in both the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta and the 2000 games in Australia. Not as an athlete, but as a supplier. Much of the U.S. Track and Field team's equipment came from his company, Stackhouse Athletics.Stackhouse Athletics, located in Salem, supplies professional sports teams, schools and parks and recreational spaces with athletic equipment -- everything from stopwatches to goalposts. Henshaw bought the business 24 years ago from original owner Chester Stackhouse's widow, and has continued to grow the company ever since, with regional dealers located all over the United States.
Like many small businesses, the Stackhouse staff -- many of whom have been long-term employees -- seems more like a family than simply co-workers. And Henshaw does have a blood relation working closely with him as well. His son Greg, who is the company's vice president and national sales and marketing manager, has worked with his father for the last 20 years. He started out part-time in high school and came to the business full-time after graduating from college.
Whereas many fathers and sons in business together are a volatile combination, the Henshaws enjoy a close working relationship and have few disagreements over how to run the business. Henshaw even sees the generational differences as an asset to the business.
"Greg is in tune with the new ways of doing business and can be aggressive in some areas. I don't have the fire in my gut that he does," he says.
They are currently working out a succession plan for Greg to take over the business in the next two to three years. Henshaw says that this has made him all the more aware of the importance of making last year's death tax repeal permanent.
"Depending on how the succession plan is structured, it can be a real burden," he says.
Quick Facts:
Name: Gene Henshaw
Business: Stackhouse Athletics, www.stackhouseathletic.com
Number of Employees: 24
Joined NFIB: 1982
How did you get involved in NFIB grassroots activism?
I started responding to the requests to contact my legislators. I've also testified in front of lawmakers on ergonomics, health care and tax issues.
What have you done through NFIB to help the cause of small business?
Testifying on ergonomics is a good example. Had all they were trying to do gone through, that really would have hit small business hard. NFIB was definitely a factor in defeating that.
What is your number one legislative concern on the state level?
Taxation. Oregon has one of the highest per capita tax rates in the nation. Small business doesn't want to go to the state for assistance, but the taxes need to be lower for us to be competitive.
The public employee pension plan is another problem. They're looking for taxpayers to salvage it. Then there's also the problem with education funding, which could also result in another raise in taxes.
What is your number one concern on the national level?
Tort reform. We've had to deal with a frivolous lawsuit. It didn't go to court, but we had to spend a lot on attorney fees. That kind of thing also affects liability insurance. It drives up the fees because of the possibility of defending against a lawsuit -- whether it has merits or not.
Why do you like being a small business owner?
It's an opportunity to work with people and establish relationships. Sure, it required a lot of work and hours, a lot of worries, but there's a great deal of personal satisfaction in having a company.
