NFIB, the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization has recognized Mark Faulkner of Vireo Systems Inc. and Deeannah Seymour of pH-D Feminine Health with its prestigious Small Business Champion award. NFIB State Director Jim Brown made the presentations Tuesday at NFIB’s Small Business Day at the Capitol in Nashville.
The Small Business Champion award honors NFIB members who go the extra mile to help the association promote and protect the right of its members to own, operate and grow their businesses.
Seymour is CEO and co-founder of pH-D Feminine Health with Faulkner in Madison, and Faulkner is CEO and founder of Vireo Systems, a Madison-based manufacturer and distributor of holistic products for people and pets. The company also has operations in Nebraska.
“Mark and Deeannah embody what outstanding small business advocacy looks like by telling their stories and presenting their challenges clearly to lawmakers,” Brown said. “In 2021, they hosted a press conference with Governor Bill Lee and state leaders at their warehouse in support of Amendment 1 – which passed last November enshrining our right-to-work law into the state constitution. They also engaged their employees and promoted the successful effort with powerful educational videos.”
“Additionally, they participated on a panel last December in a U.S. Senate briefing, sharing their experiences with large technology companies who use anti-competitive business practices at the expense of small businesses and consumers. They continue to express support of the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, S. 2992, which would address these challenges. They are simply stalwart leaders, and we’re grateful for all they are doing for small business here in Tennessee and across the country.”
“I am tremendously honored to receive the NFIB Small Business Champion award,” said Faulkner, an NFIB member since 2005. “Through NFIB, we have seen successes for our business by addressing many onerous tax, labor, and regulatory challenges at the state and federal levels. Indeed, NFIB is the Voice of Small Business, and our team at Vireo knows this firsthand.”
“I’m very grateful for the Small Business Champion award and equally grateful that NFIB helps us to address the obstacles our business continues to face,” Seymour said. “It was an honor to work with Mark and NFIB’s federal team on testimony in support of S. 2992, during which we were able to bring the collective voice of small business to Washington, D.C. last year.”
In 2021, the State of Nebraska recognized Vireo Systems as its Business of the Year. Last week, the company added a 32,000-square-foot facility alongside its existing plant in Plattsmouth, NE, to become the first U.S. producer of the nutritional supplement creatine.
Vireo Systems develops, manufactures and markets products and brands that enhance the health of humans and animals while delivering safe, non-toxic remedies for various public health needs. pH-D® Feminine Health provides holistic feminine wellness solutions “developed by a woman for women.”
