07/ 25/ 2006
Hundreds of delegates to the 2006 NFIB National Small-Business Summit blanketed the U.S. Capitol to "Take it to the Hill," making a point with their lawmakers that government actions affect the way they run their businesses back home.
Ten Missouri small-business owners met with Sen. Jim Talent to ask for his continued support for Small-Business Health Plan legislation and his help in ending the death tax.
"We've worked for 12 years now to get the highest, best exemption possible for small business," said NFIB Board Chairman Brad Eiffert, whose family owns Boone County Lumber in Columbia. "Achieving the best exemption rate would help us tremendously and give us some sense of permanency so we know how to plan for the future."
Ken Legler, who owns Houston Wire Works, made a similar pitch to Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. "Right now, the death tax makes future financial planning for the business tough because you don't know what to expect."
Donald Overman, CEO of print wholesaler Biz2Biz2Biz of Hudson, N.H., visited the office of Rep. Charles Bass to find out for himself that his congressman was on board for small-business issues. "I have to stay active in the political process," Overman said. "I don't believe in passivity."
EBay President and CEO Meg Whitman opened Tuesday's "Take it to the Hill" day with a keynote address lauding NFIB for fighting the good fight in Washington for small businesses. She also outlined the many common priorities of both groups. Calling herself a "true believer" in small-business owners telling their personal stories to lawmakers, Whitman joined NFIB President and CEO Todd Stottlemyer and NFIB members as they traveled to the Hill.
NFIB members also enjoyed several business and political breakout sessions as well as speeches from Washington insiders like Sens. Mike Enzi (Wyo.) and Ben Nelson (Neb.) and Senior Presidential Adviser Karl Rove.
Capping off the Summit was the Visa Awards Dinner at the National Building Museum, honoring the 2006 NFIB Small-Business Champions and the NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award winners. Stottlemyer thanked attendees for serving their fellow entrepreneurs by taking the fight to Congress.
"Thank you for being such active members of NFIB," said Stottlemyer. "Thank you for being risk-takers, entrepreneurs, and for giving so much to your country. As Sen. George Allen told NFIB members on our Capitol Hill visit with him, 'Keep fighting, keep winning. You're what's so great about America.' "
For more information on the regional Young Entrepreneur Award winners announced at the Summit, see page 28. NFIB Small-Business Champions can be found on page 44.
NFIB.com
For more details on the Summit, visit www.NFIB.com/summit.
