07/ 31/ 2008
Four national Solveras/NFIB Small Business Champions honored in 2008
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NFIB's 2008 Small Business Champions at the National Small Business Summit |
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Bill Thornton |
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Catherine Popp Hoffman |
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Bobra Bush |
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Billy Knorpp |
NFIB works tirelessly to represent small business in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals, but the bulk of its strength comes from small business activists in the trenches who fight the everyday battles that keep entrepreneurship thriving in their communities. Each year, NFIB singles out a small business owner in each of the 50 states for the prestigious Small Business Champion of the Year award.
This year’s national winners were honored at the 2008 National Small Business Summit, where NFIB’s president and CEO Todd Stottlemyer and Solveras Payment Center president John Cramp presented their award. This is the first year Solveras Payment Systems has helped sponsor the awards, and the fifth year NFIB has recognized small business owners who go the extra mile for their fellow entrepreneurs.
Read on to learn more about this year’s winners—business owners who have not only given their time and resources to promote small business, but also demonstrate a spirit of service to their communities and a commitment to advancing the cause of free enterprise.
Most Valuable Player
Ohio business owner gives time and talent to represent small business
Bill Thornton, owner of Lebanon, Ohio-based Thornton & Associates, isn’t content to sit on the sidelines. If there is a small business issue at stake—whether it’s workers’ compensation policies, legal reform or taxes—he is more than willing to share his opinion with lawmakers at legislative meetings. If a teacher needs help explaining entrepreneurship to students, Thornton is more than happy to bring his experiences to the classroom.
“Small businesses are vital to our economy and to our communities,” Thornton says. “As business owners, we have an important role to play.”
An NFIB member since 1981, Thornton understands that role well. Through the years, he has been an active participant in the group’s many opportunities for leadership and involvement in small business issues at the state and federal level.
“I appreciate that NFIB has always given us the tools and opportunities we need to make our voices heard," Thornton says.
He has taken advantage of that opportunity, too, serving on the NFIB Board of Directors and as a charter member and chairperson of the Warren/Butler County NFIB Area Action Council, as well as a mentor for NFIB’s Take Time to Teach initiative, which introduces high school students to entrepreneurship.
Thornton has plenty of insight to contribute. Before starting his consulting service, he headed up Thornton Gardens, the area’s largest garden store, nursery and landscaping businesses, where he and his team developed an innovative, new software program to help landscaping businesses keep track of inventory, labor costs and pricing.
Thornton is a tireless advocate for small businesses everywhere, not only in Ohio but also across the country, says Roger R. Geiger, vice president/executive director of NFIB/Ohio.
“He is always ready and willing to go to bat for the cause, whether it means traveling to Columbus to testify before the Legislature, traveling to Washington, D.C., to attend board meetings or working with the local schools to help instill the entrepreneurial spirit in the next generation,” Geiger says. “We couldn’t ask for a more enthusiastic, dedicated and dependable person to help us carry the banner for free enterprise."
Spurring Entrepreneurship
Indiana business owner devotes her expertise to helping other entrepreneurs
Giving back is second nature to Catherine Popp Hoffman, owner of Zionsville, Ind.-based HB Capital. Through the years, Popp Hoffman has devoted her life and legal expertise to helping countless Indiana entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
In 2003, Popp Hoffman started a venture capital businesses dedicated to creating new jobs in Indiana through creative financing and leveraging of the federal New Market Tax Credit program, as well as other state and local tax incentive programs. Joining forces with the Community Bankers Association of Indiana, HB Capital helped secure $19.5 million in tax credits for state employers.
“Throughout her career, Catherine has been a remarkable advocate for the small business community,” says Barbara Quandt, NFIB/Indiana state director and last year’s Small Business Champion for the Midwest region. “She has managed a small business as the head of her own law firm for more than 16 years, and in that time, she has been a tireless promoter for small businesses not only in her community, but across the state of Indiana.”
In four short years, the HB Capital joint venture has facilitated financing for a $6.5 million paper plant manufacturing facility in Marion, Ind.; a $10 million expansion for a 40-year old family-owned advanced gasket technology manufacturing company in Indianapolis; a $6 million office building for a Bloomington, Ind., venture capital company that manufactures and develops advanced technology proton cancer treatment facilities; and a family-owned $20 million water park in French Lick, Ind. As a result of these efforts, 400 new jobs have been created across the state.
Popp Hoffman’s contributions will have a lasting impact on entrepreneurship in Indiana for years to come, Quandt says.
“Catherine is dedicated to supporting fellow entrepreneurs, and her efforts to attract and cultivate new businesses are helping to create jobs and spur development in communities all across our state,” Quandt said.
Giving Back
Florida business owner balances activism with running two businesses
With two companies to run, Bobra Bush has her hands full, but this Boca Raton, Fla., business owner doesn’t let that keep her from standing up for small business wherever she goes.
As a member of Florida’s Leadership Council, Bush often travels to Tallahassee to campaign on the issues. She’s also worked to build and maintain professional relationships with local lawmakers through the years, giving her a reputation as a key voice for small business in the state.
Bush knows the concerns of small business owners well. In 1989, she launched Telcom Corporation, a telecommunications consulting and contingency-based telephone bill auditing firm. By 1993, she had started her second business, Telcare Corporation, a customer retention firm specializing in telephone and mail customer satisfaction surveys.
An NFIB member for more than 13 years, Bush has never been shy about speaking up and rallying support for small business. Since 1996, she has attended every National Small Business Summit, and in 2000, her passion for politics and policy lead her to run for a seat in the Florida House.
Always eager to provide insights on policy and issues, Bush also contributes her time, talent, effort and resources to growing NFIB’s membership, even using her company in a pilot program to introduce prospective members to the organization.
“She really understands why membership in NFIB is so important,” NFIB/Florida Executive Director Bill Herrle says. “She is dedicated to working with us to continuously strengthen our membership and achieve victories for small business.”
Daring to Dream
Idaho business owner fights battles with optimism
For Idaho business owner Billy Knorpp, setbacks are nothing but opportunities in disguise.
After years of working for corporate giant Hewlett Packard, Knorpp saw his career be swept away in an instant during a wave of downsizing, but he didn’t wallow in his misfortune. Instead he poured his energy into building the Boise-based RVP Systems, a 17-employee firm that sales point-of-sale systems, cash registers, and credit card processing.
Since joining the ranks of America’s real engine of the economy, Knorpp has used his optimism and ingenuity to further the cause of small business. He regularly visits the state capital to share his perspective with lawmakers, and his testimonies have been known to sway even the most skeptical legislator to his side.
Knorpp is relentless in his defense of small business and his advocacy for issues such as health care, tax policy, local options taxes and personal property taxes, says Suzanne Budge, NFIB/Idaho state director.
“Thousands of Idaho small business owners who will never meet Billy owe him a debt of gratitude,” she says.
Even in his community, Knorpp is a role model, serving as chairman of the Meridian District of the Ore-Ida Boise Boy Scout Council, a member of the Boise Area Chamber of Commerce, past president of the Networking Professionals, a member of the BYU Management Society, Buy Idaho, RSPA and various other organizations.
This is Knorpp’s second year to be named as a Small Business Champion; he also received the honor in 2006.
For more information, read NFIB's news release about this year's Small Business Champions.
