Michigan's Gary Kushner Given Top Small Business Honor by NSBA

News provided by

Jun 01, 2015, 01:00 ET

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Small Business Association (NSBA) today honored Gary Kushner president and CEO of Kushner & Company in Portage, Mich. 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," stated 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 NSBA Chair Timothy Reynolds, president of Tribute, Inc. in Hudson, Ohio. "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.

Celebrating more than 75 years in operation, NSBA is a staunchly nonpartisan organization advocating on behalf of America's entrepreneurs. NSBA's 65,000 members represent every state and every industry in the U.S., and we are proud to be the nation's first small-business advocacy organization. Please visit www.nsba.biz or follow us at @NSBAAdvocate.

SOURCE National Small Business Association