LANSING – The National Small Business Association, the Small
Business Association of Michigan�s national affiliate, Monday honored Gary
Kushner, president and CEO of Kushner & Company in Portage, as the 2015
Lewis Shattuck Small Business Advocate of the Year.
“Gary has been an outspoken and tireless advocate for small
business for more than three decades,” said NSBA President and CEO Todd
McCracken. “His selfless work on the issues facing firms of all stripes has led
to breaking down some of the biggest challenges facing small firms.”
Kushner has played an active role in local, state and
national advocacy efforts on behalf of America’s small businesses. In 1986, he
served as a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business and served
as the Michigan State Co-Chair for the 1995 White House Conference. He has
testified before Congress more than a dozen times and has been a recurring
expert witness for small-business issues at the Michigan State House.
Kushner helped draft legislative language on SIMPLE
cafeteria plans and has provided input to regulatory agencies at the state and
federal level on a variety of small-business issues. Kushner has served as a
past chair for NSBA and the Small Business Association of Michigan, and has
received formal proclamations for his advocacy work from both the U.S. Congress
and Michigan Legislature.
“Gary has stood up publicly for small businesses on policy
issues and has done so regardless of what repercussions may occur,” said SBAM
President and CEO Rob Fowler. “He never shies away from bringing the important
issues to the forefront, and we’re all better off because of it.”
Alongside Kushner, NSBA also recognized the following
outstanding small-business leaders: Michael Canty of Alloy Bellows &
Precision Welding in Highland Heights, Ohio; Sheila Duffy-Lehrman of Tropic
Survival Advertising & Marketing in Miami, Fla.; Jeff Koenig of Big Poppi
Bicycle Co. in Manhattan, Kan.; and Marilyn Landis of Basic Business Concepts,
Inc. in Pittsburgh, Pa.
