NFIB

"I believe that the biggest challenge facing small business is the ongoing growth of costly government regulations, along with increasing taxes," said NFIB member Joseph P. Sergio, Ph.D. "This is resulting in stifling the creativity and growth of the American free enterprise system, limiting job growth and making it more difficult to compete with the rapidly developing international marketplace."

Sergio, along with his brother Tony Sergio and brother-in-law Al Scott, is the owner and president of The Sergio Corporation and its largest division, First Response. Among its many services, First Response provides emergency mitigation, fire restoration, contents restoration, water damage remediation and mold remediation services. In addition, First Response is one of the premier fire, water, smoke and mold remediation contractors in the Midwest. They received the national Phoenix Award for Innovation in Restoration for their unmatched speed and cost effectiveness, as well as the American Red Cross Good Neighbor Award. 

"We are particularly proud of our employees' heroic efforts in reopening a major freight train yard in the infamous '9th Ward' of New Orleans just after Hurricane Katrina hit," said Sergio. "Our small business played a crucial role in this effort, as we were the first company to move in and set up camp at Ground Zero in New Orleans." First Response was also responsible for supervising the assessment and restoration of 100 buildings in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Sergio became a member on NFIB in 1992 and has been a proud and active member since. "NFIB listens to the membership and therefore feels the needs and pains of small business. Because of this, NFIB has been able to put the weight of small businesses to work in helping to continue to create additional jobs for America's workers," commented Sergio. 

Since joining NFIB, Sergio has been the chairman for the Northern Indiana Area Action Council and vice chairman of Indiana's Leadership Council, and is looking forward to taking the position of chairman in 2007.

"NFIB has helped us by identifying important legislation and helping us to understand how legislation can potentially help or hurt small business while also providing avenues to get involved to help create a better business climate for our county," said Sergio.