NFIB Arizona Announces its Guardian of Small Business Winners

July 26, 2022 Last Edit: May 8, 2025

NFIB Arizona Announces its Guardian of Small Business Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Chad Heinrich, Arizona State Director, ch@chadheinrich.com or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, anthony.malandra@nfib.org PHOENIX, July 26, 2022—Today, Arizona’s leading representative association of small business recognized five state legislators with the prestigious Guardian of Small Business Award. “Many legislators had 100% pro-small-business voting records during the 2021 and 2022 sessions of the Arizona State Legislature, which we are extremely grateful for, but five went the extra mile for the Main Street enterprises of our state,” said Chad Heinrich, Arizona state director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small-business association, who announced the five Guardian of Small Business Award recipients.

“Senate President Karen Fann led the Senate through the pandemic and played a key role in budget negotiations to ensure small businesses were held harmless from unemployment insurance tax increases due to temporary business closures necessitated by the governmental response to COVID-19.”
“House Speaker Rusty Bowers is a pillar within the Arizona Legislature and is respected by all who have worked with him on issues. Small businesses recognize the key role he played in moving the largest state personal income tax cut in state history through the Legislature in 2021. Because of his leadership and collaboration, Arizona’s small businesses now have a single income tax rate to base their business decisions on—making it easier to run and grow a small business in Arizona.”
“Senator Vince Leach is laser focused on creating a better tax and regulatory climate for small businesses in Arizona. He’s not only a champion on priority small business tax issues but has also led on legal reforms to reduce the number of frivolous and costly lawsuits small businesses get wrapped into due to no fault of their own.”
“Representative Jeff Weninger is one of few small-business owners who dedicate the time needed away from his business to also serve effectively in the State Legislature. In 2022, he sponsored a key reform to the business personal property tax that will unleash untold amounts of business investment in Arizona through the simplification and reduction of this burdensome tax. He’s built a solid reputation in the State Legislature as being on the cutting edge of technology and has worked effectively to keep Arizona’s policies attractive to industry and innovators.”
“Senator J.D. Mesnard exudes a balance of personality, policy knowledge, and practical business experience that makes him extraordinarily effective as an advocate for small business in the State Legislature. His work on reducing the property tax assessment ratio during the past two legislative sessions marks a significant milestone achievement for small businesses in Arizona. His efforts in this area and others will undoubtably lead to greater business investment in Arizona while also attracting more businesses of all sizes to locate in our state.”

Retweet this news release here. Keep up with the latest on Arizona small business news at www.nfib.com/arizona or by following NFIB on Twitter @NFIB_AZ ### For almost 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since its founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com. NFIB Arizona 602-263-7690 NFIB.com/AZ Twitter: @NFIB_AZ