08/11/2005
|
"I see the challenges that face small-business owners first-hand, and my own challenges are magnified through my 600 small-business customers." --Rodd Moesel |
When Rodd Moesel started his business in 1974, he was assembling and selling terrariums that banks would use as gifts for their premium customers. Over the last 30 years, Moesel's green thumb has helped him grow American Plant Products and Services Inc. into an enterprise that designs and builds commercial and residential greenhouses for customers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas.
"Initially I just wanted to raise money for school," says Moesel, who launched the business when he was a freshman at Oklahoma State University. Along the way, however, he discovered the joys of business ownership, and there's been no turning back.
Today American Plant Products has 35 employees, including Moesel's wife, Dona, who serves as vice president of the company and who was recognized in 1998 as one of 50 Women Who Make a Difference for Oklahoma. Moesel is the company's president and chief horticultural ambassador, writing a biweekly gardening column for the Daily Oklahoman and serving as president of the North American Horticultural Supply Association.
Moesel is also a longtime member of NFIB, joining soon after starting his business. "We've been active ever since," he says.
In addition to managing his business, writing for the newspaper and taking an active role in professional organizations, Moesel helped establish the Oklahoma Governor's Conference on Small Business and has participated on the state Chamber of Commerce's small-business council.
"I've always been in small business, and most of my customers are small businesses," he notes. "I see the challenges that face small-business owners first-hand, and my own challenges are magnified through my 600 small-business customers."
As a result, activism is a priority. "We don't have time for a lot of the things we do, but we make time for it," he says. "I am always trying to find solutions to my own problems, as well as those of my customers."
Moesel lists the estate tax and state property taxes as among his most pressing concerns. (He even helped lead a petition effort that ultimately resulted in a cap on state property taxes.) He also struggles with the exploding costs of hospital care, which threaten small businesses' ability to provide benefits for their employees.
"Government rules and regulations make it difficult for business owners to do what they want to do. They want to help their customers, but instead they are forced to squander time on bureaucratic red tape," he explains. "We're trying to help bring this information back to our elected officials."
While Moesel concedes that the challenges of running a business can be frustrating, he wouldn't consider doing anything else.
"We enjoy what we're doing -- we enjoy working with our customers and helping other small businesses," he says. "It's very rewarding; especially when you're able to help others find success."
