NFIB

No one can accuse Steere Home Builders, Inc. of not being a family business. NFIB member Barth Steere and his wife, Marge, own Steere Home Builders, Inc., and the company employs their son Shawn; his wife, Tina; their daughter Shera; nephew Chad; Barth's brother Brent; and Marge's brother-in-law Mike Strottman. 

Steere became a Wausau Homes Dealer in 1969, and now he is one of the top dealers in the U.S. "We build 35 plus homes a year," said Steere. Steere Home Builders, Inc. builds modular, closed-wall and open-wall component homes. Steere adds the aspect of being a small-business owner he likes best is having to answer to no one, except of course God and his wife.

Steere became a member of NFIB in the1970s after a sales representative visited him on a recommendation from another local business. However, Steere didn't become as active as he is now until the mid 1980s. "Interest rates were at 20 percent and housing was dead, so I worked for NFIB in Northeast Iowa under [then state director] Dave Brasher," said Steere.

Since then Steere has joined the Northeast Iowa Area Action Council and contributes to the SAFE Trust, NFIB/Iowa's political action committee. "NFIB is the only voice we have at the state and federal level for small business," said Steere.

Steere feels that business owners would greatly benefit from either a flat or national sales tax. He would also like to see improvements with health insurance, workers' compensation and property tax.

Despite the changes needed for small businesses, Steere takes great pride in the victories made so far: "When the state legislators over-rode Governor [Tom] Vilsack's veto, that made my day!" he said.