NFIB

In an award ceremony held at Union Station in Washington, D.C., June 10, the National Federation of Independent Business named Bill Thornton, owner of Thornton & Associates in Lebanon, the winner of the 2008 Solveras/NFIB Small Business Champion Award, East Region. Thornton, an NFIB member since 1981, has participated in the group's many opportunities for leadership and involvement in small business issues facing state and federal lawmakers.

Each year, NFIB names four regional winners of the Solveras/NFIB Small Business Champion Award. These individuals not only give of their time and resources to promote small-business causes through involvement in NFIB activities, but also they must demonstrate a spirit of service toward the community and a commitment to advancing the concept of free enterprise.

Although Thornton currently operates a consulting service, he spent many years at the helm of Thornton Gardens, one of the area’s largest garden store, nursery and landscaping businesses. In this role, he and his team helped to develop an innovative new software program designed to help landscaping businesses keep track of inventory, labor costs and pricing.