05/22/2006
National honor awarded to laid-off worker who decided to be his own boss
When giant Hewlett Packard went through another wave of its downsizing a few years back, sweeping out Billy Knorpp and all the years of service he put into the company, he decided it was time to join the ranks of the real engine of the American economy and become a small-business owner. Today it was announced that America's largest small-business organization has named Knorpp as its Idaho Small-Business Champion of the Year.
The honor was conferred upon him by the Leadership Council of the 7,000-member NFIB/Idaho, the state's largest small-business advocacy group. Each year, NFIB singles out a small-business owner in all 50 states for special recognition and honors him or her with its prestigious "Small-Business Champion" award. This is the third year the national group has recognized small-business owners who go the extra mile for Main Street, mom-and-pop enterprises. Last year's winner was Louis Aaron, and in 2004, the award was presented to Barbara and Lyle Sall. Both past winner are also from Boise.
Knorpp is owner RVP Systems, a 17-employee firm selling point-of-sale systems, cash registers, and credit card processing. For NFIB/Idaho, Knorpp is a member of the state Leadership Council, chairman of its Political Action Committee, and a member of the federation's Boise Area Action Council. Knorpp also is a member of the Boise Chamber of Commerce.
"From the moment Billy Knorpp joined NFIB three years ago, he volunteered to carry the torch for Main Street, Idaho mom-and-pop firms and since then has quickly evolved into one of our most effective spokesmen for small business," said Suzanne Schaefer, NFIB/Idaho state director. "His expert testimony before committees of the Idaho Legislature has benefited small-business owners all over the state. No one can command a lawmaker's attention more than a person who knows of what he speaks from first-hand experience, and when Billy Knorpp talks about such issues as small businesses' struggle with providing health care for their employees, or the effects of taxes and regulations on job growth, elected officials listen. He is one of the best canons in our advocacy arsenal to come around for decades, and I think that originates from his totally selflessness nature and complete lack of self-pity, which he demonstrated by deciding to start his own business, instead of becoming morose over being laid off by a corporation."
Billy Knorpp can be reached for comment at (208) 376-8121.
