06/05/2007
CONTACT: Tom Jones, 307-635-8524 or Tony Malandra, 415-664-9685
NFIB names trucking company owner and State House Speaker Roy Cohee its winner for 2007
CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- In Congress and in all 50 states, NFIB's lobbyists spend the overwhelming majority of their time educating lawmakers that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger ones, but have distinctly different difficulties in remaining solvent. It is a rare gift when an elected official is also a small-business owner. It's manna from heaven when one rises to become speaker of a state house. Today, the National Federation of Independent Business, America's leading small-business advocacy group, named Wyoming House Speaker and NFIB member Roy Cohee its Small-Business Champion of the Year.
The honor was conferred upon him by the Leadership Council of NFIB/Wyoming. Each year, NFIB singles out a small-business owner in all 50 states for special recognition and honors him or her with its prestigious "Small-Business Champion" award. This is the fourth year the national group has recognized small-business owners who go the extra mile for Main Street, mom-and-pop enterprises. Last year's winner was Dale Kjack. In 2005, the award went to Arthur Georgelas and in 2004, to Ray Fertig. All three previous winners were from Cheyenne. Cohee, from Casper, breaks the streak.
Cohee owns Casper-based C & Y Trucking. In addition to his membership with NFIB, he also is a member of the Wyoming Trucking Association and the Wyoming Business Alliance. For his community, Cohee is a member of the Casper Chamber of Commerce, the local Rotary and Elks clubs, and a member of the Cowboy Joe Club, the booster group for the University of Wyoming.
Cohee is a graduate of Casper College, and he and his wife Barbara have two children and make their home in Casper. He has spent eight years in the Wyoming House of Representatives, serving as majority leader before becoming speaker. In addition to his role as Speaker of the House, Cohee is also Chairman of its Management Council and Rules and Procedures committees and chairman of the Select Committee on Local Government Financing. He also is vice chairman of the Management Audit Committee and a member of the Energy Council Committee.
"Roy instinctively knows what's good for small business and what is bad," said Tom Jones, NFIB/Wyoming state director. "I am the envy of my colleagues in the other 49 states when I tell them we not only have a great small-business leader in the House, but he is the Speaker as well. It's a real role-reversal for us small-business advocates to not have to educate a lawmaker on our issues, but listen and learn from him instead."
Cohee can be reached for further comment at 307-266-1667; Jones at 307-635-8524.
