10/16/2006
Steve Bowser has a unique understanding of how important the outcome of this November's elections will be to his business. Bowser is the president of Bowser-Morner, Inc., a multi-disciplined consulting, engineering and analytical firm that specializes in laboratory testing, subsurface investigations and engineering/scientific services. Founded in 1911, the company is a third-generation family business that now employs approximately 160 engineers, scientists, technicians and administrative personnel.
Bowser has been an NFIB member for nearly 10 years. As he became more involved in the political process, he also became more aware of the way that policy decisions were affecting his company's ability to grow and remain competitive.
In 2004, the makeup of Ohio's Supreme Court bench was up for grabs. Bowser, who understood how Ohio Supreme Court decisions could impact even the day-to-day operations of his business, decided to take action. He wrote a personal letter to his employees describing the issues and outcomes that were at stake. The letters were mailed to employees' homes and election information was included with their pay stubs.
"We sent personal letters to our employees before the 2004 elections, and afterwards I received several comments from them thanking me for the information," Bowser said. "They told me that, like anyone, they have a hard time trying to figure out what to believe about certain candidates or issues. When we gave them information about how specific policies would impact our business, they viewed it as positive and helpful."
This year, Bowser is planning to provide his employees with election information again. This time, there are a number of issues at stake that he hopes his employees will consider before going to the polls.
"We are going to discuss the Ohio Supreme Court races again as well as the governor's race and a couple of the ballot issues," Bowser said. "Ohio's minimum-wage ballot issue in particular has some very dangerous language. While the wage issue may not directly affect anyone who works here, there are some records-keeping provisions involved that I am afraid would jeopardize the privacy and security of our employees. If it passes, it would be part of the Ohio Constitution which is a very inappropriate place for any type of wage requirement."
With so much at stake in this year's elections, Bowser is making an extra effort to ensure that his employees have all the information they need to feel confident about their decisions at the polls in November.
