Bud Fay—Northeast Region
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| (Left to right) NFIB President and CEO Todd Stottlemyer, Bud Fay, NFIB Vice President Steve Woods |
Bud Fay owns Pop and Mum's Restaurant-Car Wash-Laundromat and Dry Cleaning in Groton, Conn. He started the business 22 years ago after a corporate career in the plastic processing industry.
In 2004, he campaigned hard for his friend, U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, in one of the hottest races of the year. Simmons won a solid victory. Fay also chairs the Groton Business Association and organized small-business owners into the Southeastern Connecticut Area Action Council before NFIB had formally designated such councils.
He and other community leaders have saved the Groton submarine base and the shipyard twice in the last 12 years. The latest challenge came with the 2005 base-closing plan. Shutting down the facilities—the largest single hit in the Pentagon plan—would have meant the potential loss of thousands of jobs and $3.4 billion annually to the state economy. In addition to lobbying to keep the base open, Fay was the group's spokesman.
