The New York Times reports that 33 of the incoming Republican Members of Congress are small-business owners, two of them women. The piece has a short rundown of each with details. Here is an excerpt to get you started:
David Schweikert, Arizona’s 5th District: manages and co-owns a real estate investment and management company that employs six part-time people. Mr. Schweikert got his real estate license in 1988, when he turned 18, but redoubled his efforts with the recent downturn. “We buy whatever seems to be a good value,” he said to The Agenda.
Rick Crawford, Arkansas’s 1st District: founded and operates AgWatch Network, which syndicates agriculture news programs to 49 radio stations.
Jeff Denham, California’s 19th District: operates Denham Plastics, a company with $4 million in annual revenue and 10 employees that manufactures agricultural shipping containers. The idea for the business sprang from Mr. Denham’s previous company, a salad-bagging enterprise. He also owns an almond ranch with two employees.
Scott Tipton, Colorado’s 3rd District: with his brother, opened and runs Mesa Verde Pottery, which makes and sells Native American ceramics, employing 22 people. Though the company maintains a well known store near an entrance to Mesa Verde National Park, the company earns most of its revenue, according to the Pueblo Chieftain, from sales to other retailers, such as gift shops and national park concessions.
Vicky Hartzler, Missouri’s 4th District: owns and operates, with her husband, Hartzler Equipment Company, a farm implement dealership with about 50 employees in three locations. They also farm 1,700 acres with three full-time employees.