U.S. Chamber
Launches Campaign
For Free Enterprise
Join the movement.
Turn the page to learn about the
campaign and how you can
get involved. Flip to the back
outside cover to take
the American Free
Enterprise Pledge.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Fighting for Your Business ®
INSIDE |
P01_Nov09_fm.indd 1
The husband and wife team of Don and Andy Begneaud operates a successful sheet metal company that
Don started while in college. Read their story and those of other everyday heroes of free enterprise on page 4.
|
Photo: Ian Wagreich
10/26/09 3:23 PM
November 2009
FREE ENTERPRISE
Behind the Campaign
With Brian Gunderson
As vice president and managing director of the U.S. Chamber’s
American Free Enterprise. Dream Big. campaign, Brian Gunderson
oversees one of the Chamber’s most ambitious initiatives in its nearly
100-year history. Gunderson sat down with Free Enterprise staff writer
Sheryll Poe to discuss the campaign.
Free Enterprise: Why is this campaign necessary?
Gunderson: America is at a crossroads. We’re engaged in a
national debate on the future direction of the country. Government is
growing, and we face an enormous challenge to replace the jobs that
were lost during the recession. In the context of these very large
issues, we think it’s important to make a fresh case for the
value of the free enterprise system. We think it’s
important to remind people that it is a healthy,
vibrant, dynamic free enterprise system that
creates jobs, innovation, economic growth,
and prosperity.
Brian Gunderson
Vice President and Managing Director
American Free Enterprise. Dream Big.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Photo: Ian Wagreich
Q: How did America lose its
appreciation for a free enterprise
system?
A: For most of its history, the Chamber
spent a lot of time talking about the value
of free enterprise. With the end of the Cold
War, however, the Chamber and other
groups stopped doing that and focused
more on specific issues. We’re now paying a price for that neglect. Increased
government involvement in the private
economy and some of the activities of
certain union leaders, environmentalists,
and other anti-business activists reflect a
lack of understanding of the value of free
enterprise and the role it has played in
America’s success. So we’re getting back
to our original mission and making the
case for the free enterprise system.
Q: What does the campaign
include?
A: We have designed the campaign to
take advantage of the very broad range of
capabilities of the Chamber and its friends
across the country. Our innovative advertising
campaign moves beyond the free enterprise
base and carries the message to more challenging audiences, including young adults. We have
MILESTONES IN
AMERICAN FREE
ENTERPRISE
1900
J.P. Morgan creates
U.S. Steel, which will
become the first billion-dollar
corporation in history.
1901
America’s population stands at 76 million; federal spending
is less than $500 million. The average life span is 48 years.
The average income per person is $438, and approximately
40% of the population lives below the poverty level.
2
P02_Nov09_fm.indd 2
1903
a major grassroots effort under way to sign up newly identified supporters of free enterprise.
Former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, who is now
executive vice president of the Chamber’s National Chamber Foundation (NCF), the Chamber’s public policy think tank, will oversee
a series of educational initiatives. We’re also conducting systematic
outreach to governors, mayors, and Capitol Hill. There is a large
social media aspect, which includes blogging and a presence on
Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr®.
We are working with our state and local friends to hold a series of
regional events. It’s essential that the campaign take hold at the state and
local levels. I can say that from the work we’ve done so far, we’re absolutely confident that a very impressive number of new free enterprise
supporters will sign up for the campaign in a very short time.
Q: Tell us about the 20 million job challenge.
A: One of the main campaign themes is the serious jobs
challenge facing the United States. As Chamber Chief Economist
Marty Regalia recently pointed out, we’ve lost 7 million jobs since
the beginning of the recession—3.8 million just this year. America
needs to create 1 million or more jobs per year just to keep pace with
our growing population. We also have a number of people who are
underemployed, working in part-time jobs that should be full time.
When you add it all up, we’re probably looking at having to create
more than 20 million jobs in the next 10 years. And the only realistic
way to do that is through a healthy, vibrant free enterprise system.
Q: How will you measure the success of the
campaign?
A: We plan to conduct benchmark polling in which we ask similar questions at regular intervals. These questions will show whether
public attitudes about free enterprise change over time. We’ve done
the first round already.
Q: How can small businesses get involved?
A: Free enterprise supporters should join the movement. A
key feature of the campaign is the Free Enterprise Pledge, a simple
statement affirming the basic principles of the free enterprise system.
Supporters can take the pledge, display it in their workplaces, and
encourage their friends and co-workers to do the same. They can tell
us what free enterprise means to them by uploading a short video
to our Web site. They can also arrange community events—or even
host a small gathering in their living room—to talk about ways to
advance free enterprise values in their communities.
Tak e act i on .
Nineteen-year-old Jim Casey
establishes the American Messenger
Company in Seattle, which will
become United Parcel Service.
IBM is founded by
Herman Hollerith
in Broome County,
New York.
1907
1924
The Wright brothers
make the first
successful flight.
1908
Ford develops the first Model T,
which sells for $850.
www.uschambermagazine.com
10/23/09 6:48 PM
FREE ENTERPRISE
November 2009
Reasons
American Free Enterprise. Dream Big.
To Support American Free Enterprise
1. Jobs
5. Small Business
Free enterprise is the only system that can create
the 20 million that we’ll need in the next decade.
2. Opportunity
Regardless of wealth, status, or background, you
have a chance to rise as high as your talent and
hard work can take you.
3. Freedom of Choice
You are free to choose your own path. No one
picks your profession or limits what you can do
or become.
8. A Progressive Society
Almost anyone in America can start a business
if he or she really wants to. The barriers are low,
the opportunities are endless, and if you fail,
and many do, you can get up off the floor and
try again.
A strong economy, powered by free enterprise,
generates the revenues to educate our
children, care for the sick and elderly, provide
compassionate support for the less fortunate,
and clean our environment.
6. Social Mobility
9. A Better World
No other society offers so many avenues
for individuals, families, and succeeding
generations to move up the ladder of success.
The size and success of our free enterprise
economy have given the United States and its
citizens an unmatched capacity to address global
problems and improve the state of the world.
7. Quality of Life
10. The American Dream
Free enterprise supports a quality of life that
previous generations could only dream of. We are
living longer and enjoying an unsurpassed level
of material comforts because of free enterprise.
4. Innovation
Free enterprise encourages it, fosters it,
embraces it, and rewards it. Free enterprise
excels in the solutions business.
It could not exist without free enterprise, for
it is our economic freedom that enables us to
achieve our dreams. It is free enterprise that
breathes life into the promise of America, which
is that a better life is always within our grasp
and our country’s best days are yet to come.
L e a r n more .
Survey Results
Americans See Threats to Free Enterprise
Majority Are Concerned About Its Future
Some 57% of Americans are concerned about the
future of free enterprise due to government actions in
Washington, D.C., according to the results of a survey
commissioned by the U.S. Chamber’s American Free
Enterprise. Dream Big. campaign.
Of the 1,005 registered voters sampled, 64% said that
government action to stimulate the economy is needed in
the short run, but that the nation must rely on free enterprise to create jobs and grow the economy in the long run.
1927
In addition, 71% said they have positive feelings
toward free enterprise, and 80% said they have
personally benefited from it, the survey by KRC
Research found.
The survey also found that voters have far more
positive feelings about small business than they do
about the federal government—89% said they feel very
positive or somewhat positive toward small business,
while 27% have the same feeling about the government.
General Electric
introduces the television.
Alexander Fleming
discovers penicillin.
The first U.S. supermarket,
King Kullen, opens in Queens,
New York. The family-owned chain
still operates in Long Island.
1928
1930
Charles Lindbergh makes
the first nonstop solo flight
across the Atlantic.
1929
The stock market
crashes, triggering
the Great Depression.
www.uschambermagazine.com
P03_Nov09_fm.indd 3
Approximately 42% of the respondents said that
economic issues, including cutting taxes and creating
economic growth, are most important to them. A second
group of issues—improving schools, health care, and
the environment—were cited as being most important
by 29% of those responding. National security issues,
including maintaining a strong defense, rounded out the
top three issues.
Data for the survey were collected in September 2009.
The first HMO, Kaiser-Permanente®
of Oakland, California, makes its
health plan available to the public.
1938
1945
The first dry photocopy
and ballpoint pen
are created.
3
10/23/09 6:51 PM
November 2009
C a p i t a l R o u n d u p | FREE ENTERPRISE
F
Free Enterprise: When Dre a
Each day, free enterprise fulfills the hopes and dreams of millions of Americans. The heroes of free
enterprise are students, the self-employed and small shop owners, the leaders of family-owned businesses,
and the heads of America’s most iconic corporations. Here are some of their stories.
Don Begneaud: Going From a Tinkerer to an Industry Leader
Don Begneaud has always been a tinkerer. “As a kid, I
was curious about everything. I took my toys apart to try to
figure them out,” says the owner of BEGNEAUD Manufacturing Inc., a 70-person precision sheet metal manufacturing
service company in Lafayette, Louisiana. Don’s wife, Andy,
is a partner in the company, handling community outreach
and employee relations, among other responsibilities.
In college, Begneaud purchased a portable welding
machine to provide on-site welding services from the
back of his truck. Soon after, he hired his first employee.
“He’d take my truck and go do jobs, and I’d ride my
bicycle to school,” says Begneaud. Begneaud switched to
night school and rented a building to work on welding
for oil field companies during the day.
In 1987, Begneaud went to a Chicago trade show to
buy a $30,000 iron worker machine, which punches holes
in metal and cuts angles and different shapes. While there,
he was introduced to laser and computerized cutting
machines, including machines by German manufacturer
facturer
TRUMPF. “That gave me the bug for more of the hightech equipment,” Begneaud says. “I believe if you create
new value through innovation, the money will follow.”
Begneaud borrowed $110,000 from his father in 1990
to buy his first computerized numerical control punch
machine from TRUMPF. “The oil bust had crippled the
banks around here. Because I didn’t have a long track
record and looked so young, they weren’t going to give
me a loan,” he says. Soon after, Begneaud bought his first
laser cutting machine, which allowed him to do precision
cutting. “As a small shop, and one of the first of our size to
offer that kind of precision service, demand wasn’t great.”
Begneaud told TRUMPF about his situation. “The firm
called one of its customers in Pennsylvania who needed
that type of work and connected us with them.” Today,
BEGNEAUD Manufacturing is a multimillion-dollar
company servicing a number of industries.
Photo: Ian Wagreich
Laura Ormson: Hitting a Hole-in-One in Business
Laura Ormson knew that learning to play golf would
help her in her future career. She just didn’t expect the links
to be her fairway to entrepreneurship.
As a teenage golfer, Ormson noticed that golfing clothes
were made for boys. “You have to wear clothes that are
appropriate for the golf course—shorts that are long enough
and collared shirts. And a lot of them are just really boxy
and not very flattering, and you don’t feel good about
yourself wearing them,” she says.
So Ormson began sketching ideas for golf apparel. After
her first year as a communications major at Wake Forest
University in North Carolina, Ormson and her mom, Cindy,
who has a background in design, visited the university’s
Office of Entrepreneurship and Liberal Arts, which
awarded Ormson a $3,000 grant to do market research.
She and her mom handed out surveys and talked to parents,
players, and coaches. The feedback confirmed Ormson’s
belief that there was a market for girls’ golf apparel.
For the next two years, Ormson and her mom learned
how to develop the designs, find the right pattern makers and manufacturers, and test the samples. Ormson sells
the apparel, which includes skorts, tops, and accessories,
through her company Web site, www.WearToWin.com, and
at golf tournaments. The University of Notre Dame’s pro
shop recently placed its first order and sold 25 of 36 pieces in
three weeks. Since its June launch, Wear to Win has netted
$6,000 in revenues. Also, an online golf retail Web site set to
launch next spring contacted Ormson about selling her line.
Ormson hopes to net additional young female golfers
as well as revenues. “With Wear to Win, we’re trying to
create a community where girls can be proud to play golf,”
she says. “There’s a stereotype that it’s just for old men and
old ladies and that it’s boring and slow.”
After graduation, the 22-year-old plans to devote herself
full time to Wear to Win. “There are a lot of opportunities,
and I just want to see how far I can take this business.”
Photo: Ian Wagreich
MILESTONES IN
AMERICAN FREE
ENTERPRISE
1947
The Taft-Hartley Act is
enacted over President
Truman’s veto, reining in
some union practices.
4
P04_05_Nov09_fm.indd 4
Otis introduces the first
automatic elevator in
Dallas. The first Xerox
machine is introduced.
1949
The first transatlantic jet
service begins. Bank of
America launches the
first credit card.
1952
1958
Jonas Salk develops
the polio vaccine.
Man walks on
the moon for
the first time.
1962
1969
Sam Walton opens the first Wal-Mart.
By 2009, the company will be the
world’s largest retailer and rank number
two on the Fortune 500 list.
www.uschambermagazine.com
10/23/09 7:04 PM
P
E
FREE ENTERPRISE | C a p i t a l R o u n d u p
November 2009
e ams Become Reality
e
,
h
The Libman Family:
Sweeping Away the Competition
Robert Libman arrives at his family’s broom and brush factory in Arcola, Illinois,
every day at 6:30 a.m. and wonders how he can make his best-selling products even
better. “We put our family name on them, so they have to be good,” says the 65-year-old.
The Libman Company makes brooms, mops, brushes, and cleaning products. It’s
best known for its Wonder Mop, which has a wringer sleeve that allows the user to
wring out the mop without touching the mop head.
Robert’s grandfather, William Libman, was a Lithuanian immigrant who as a teen
peddled household goods out of a horse drawn cart in Chicago. His best-selling item
was a corn broom made from a type of sorghum, a cereal grass with leaves similar to
corn leaves. William started The Libman Company in Chicago in 1896. “In those days,
it didn’t take a lot of capital to start a business—just hard work,” Robert says.
By the 1920s, William’s three sons joined their father, and the family built a
second plant in Detroit. Following the stock and commodity market crashes, the
Libmans closed their Detroit factory and moved production from Chicago to
Tuscola, Illinois, 180 miles south.
The Libman Company thrived during World War II, producing more than
2,500 brooms each day for the War Department between 1942 and 1945. In 1957,
the company bought an 11,000-square-foot grade school in Arcola and converted
it into a factory. Today, the plant is 950,000 square feet, employs 300 people, and
produces approximately 700,000 brooms, mops, brushes, and mop head refills per
week. The company, which now includes the founder’s four great-grandchildren,
is completely vertically integrated, making all the parts used in their products,
including 80,000 steel tubes a day.
When the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) made
imported Mexican brooms more competitive, the company shifted its focus from
low-technology products to innovative, upscale cleaning products, doubling its sales
to $100 million per year a decade later.
The company now owns 23% of the traditional cleaning tools market, and its
products are sold in 10 countries. “One of the reasons we’re here now is because
we innovate and invest in our company and our employees,” says Robert.
Photo: Ian Wagreich
1971
Steve Van Andel:
Selling Entrepreneurship Globally
Steve Van Andel is carrying on the family business of creating entrepreneurs.
Van Andel is chairman of Ada, Michigan-based Alticor, a privately held
$8 billion company that operates in more than 80 countries and territories and
employs more than 13,000 workers. Alticor’s best-known operating unit is
Amway, the direct-selling business started in 1959 by Jay Van Andel, Steve’s father,
and Jay’s best friend and lifelong business partner, Rich DeVos. Amway supports
more than 3 million independent business owners around the globe.
“My dad and Rich started the company with a very simple idea—that everyone,
no matter what their financial or educational background—could start their own
business and be their own boss,” says Steve.
After serving in the military, Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos purchased a
small plane for $700 and started a flying school called Wolverine Air Service.
While the business was reasonably successful, the partners questioned its
long-term potential and sold it.
In 1949, Jay’s cousin told the pair about his business selling a nutritional food
supplement product called Nutrilite. Rich and Jay invested $49 for a sales kit and
products and set out to recruit distributors. Within the first year, they grossed
$82,000. In 1958, the pair struck out on their own, creating the American Way
Association, which later became Amway.
The Alticor family of companies has reported sales growth in seven of the last
eight years. Amway now sells more than 450 personal products, from vitamins
to mascara, all over the globe. Alticor also has interests in Interleukin Genetics;
Gurwitch Products, LLC, which develops and markets the Laura Mercier and
ReVive brands; Metagenics; and Amway Hotels Corporation.
Steve Van Andel and Amway President Doug DeVos have carried on the
families’ proud tradition of philanthropy, including playing a major role in the
resurgence of nearby Grand Rapids, Michigan. Steve has also continued his family’s
tradition of advocacy on behalf of the business community. Both he and his father
served as chairman of the U.S. Chamber.
“We have a great story to tell about how business improves peoples’ lives,” Steve says.
Photo: Courtesy Alticor
Bill Gates and Paul Allen form Microsoft.
The Altair 8800, the first personal
computer, is introduced by MITS.
President Reagan’s economic plan
dramatically lowers taxes and cuts
the growth of federal spending.
1975
1981
Federal Express is founded by
Fred Smith in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Intel introduces the microprocessor.
Southwest Airlines begins flying.
1978
Home Depot is founded in Atlanta by Bernie
Marcus and Arthur Blank after they were both
fired from a Handy Dan Improvement Center
after a disagreement with their boss.
www.uschambermagazine.com
P04_05_Nov09_fm.indd 5
The first World Wide
Web server and browser
are developed.
1984
The AT&T monopoly
is broken up. Apple
introduces the Macintosh.
1989
1991
The Soviet Union
is dissolved.
5
10/23/09 7:05 PM
November 2009
FREE ENTERPRISE
The New ‘Culture War’ Over
Free Enterprise
During the 1972 presidential campaign, Democratic
candidate George McGovern told an audience of workers at
an Ohio rubber factory that he planned to raise inheritance
taxes significantly. This, he assured them, would help level the
playing field and steer extra dollars away from the wealthy
directly into their pockets. The workers responded with boos.
McGovern was baffled by this reaction. He shouldn’t
have been. The reaction was not rooted in economics but in
culture. Americans dislike policies that abridge our freedom
and opportunity to prosper—our free enterprise—whether
those policies look like a good personal financial deal or not. President Obama is repeating many mistakes made
by McGovern. He promotes policies that, in exchange for
short-run economic relief, will double our national debt
over the coming decade, nationalize large swaths of the
private economy, and insinuate the government deeper
and deeper into citizens’ lives. This is not a partisan
point—Obama’s policies follow years of fiscal profligacy
by Republicans. The response to politicians of both parties has been
massively negative. Witness the tea parties, the town
hall meetings, and the recent “Live Free or Die” march
on Washington. These protesters are motivated by an
“ethical populism.” They are homeowners who didn’t
walk away from their mortgages, small business owners
who don’t want corporate welfare, and bankers who kept
their heads during the frenzy and don’t need bailouts.
These were the people who were doing the important
things right—and who are now watching elected politicians
reward those who did the important things wrong and
propose more long-term violence to the free enterprise
system still. The government and much of the media insist
that these protests were the work of a small minority of
citizens, fomented by talk radio hosts and the like.
The data tell a different story, however, and indeed
make the protesters look quite mainstream. In March
2009, The Pew Research Center asked a random sample
of American adults, “Generally, do you think people are
better off in a free market economy, even though there
may be severe ups and downs?” Fully 70% agreed with this
statement, while 20% disagreed (the rest were undecided).
Free enterprise is a manifestly middle-of-the-road
taste. It is the government that is out of step today. What
do Americans object to in the redistributive ideology?
Nobody likes to be taxed punitively or to see wasteful
government spending.
Fundamentally, though, we object to the materialistic
belief that the economy is nothing more than a money
pump—for government, social projects, and various constituencies. On the contrary, Americans view our economic
system as an expression of our entrepreneurial values. Despite its misstart, the administration can still
find its way. To do so, it must embrace policies that
Americans favor and which therefore strengthen the free
enterprise system, rather than weaken it.
President Obama could cut the corporate tax in half.
No Republican would dare try this. He could also move
to a consumption tax and gut a tax code that is currently
a rabbit warren of special deals for interest groups. He could reboot the health care reform debate and
In Their Own Words
Free enterprise and the American
entrepreneurial spirit will drive us
to economic recovery.
Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT)
foundation for both the
The free enterprise system is the
oy today and the quality of
quality standard of living we enj
critically important for
American goods and services. It’s
and it’s more important that
Americans to understand this,
its effort to preserve it.
we stand with the Chamber in
Joseph Bartozzi
Counsel
Senior Vice President & General
O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc.
North Haven, Connecticut
MILESTONES IN
AMERICAN FREE
ENTERPRISE
1993
The North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
is approved.
6
P06_07_Nov09_fm.indd 6
U.S. Chamber
… [the] announcement by the
for Free
aign
of Commerce of a new ‘Camp
r’s
yea most
Enterprise’ could be one of the
ments.
consequential political develop
E.J. Dionne Jr.
t
Columnist, The Washington Pos
Arthur C. Brooks
President, American Enterprise Institute
www.aei.org
start over with a plan to deal with our problems, instead
of using them as a pretext for nationalization. He could show that he cares about future generations by
not racking up an enormous debt burden—he could even
show that he is more fiscally responsible than George W.
Bush was. The best way to start would be to begin canceling
the outstanding parts of the government stimulus bill.
These—and many other—policy prescriptions are
ready made and have been studied carefully by the
nation’s top scholars and policy experts (including my
colleagues at the American Enterprise Institute). It appears unlikely that the president or Congress
will take any such suggestions, however. The reason is
that income redistribution is the cultural objective itself.
From health care reform to the economic stimulus, we
are seeing policies that are intended to confiscate from
the “rich”—but which also take from future generations
and, indeed, from whoever is unable to guard his wallet. This, then, represents the new “culture war” in America.
In 20 years, we will remember 2009 for the struggle
between the culture of redistribution versus the culture
of free enterprise. How this struggle ends is up to us. Free enterprise is the freedom to succ
eed or fail based on
opportunities created by a free and open
market where
the rules of the game allow the little guy
to become a big
guy through hard work, innovative thin
king, and ready
access to capital. It is a system that allow
s for all
companies—large, medium, and sma
ll—to compete on a
level playing field, with necessary but
minimal
government interference or regulatio
n.
Dan DiMicco
Chairman, President, and CEO
Nucor Corporation
Charlotte, North Carolina
Boeing acquires rival and fellow aviation
pioneer company McDonnell-Douglas,
forming the 34th largest firm on the
2009 Fortune 500 list.
Oil giants Exxon and Mobil merge to form the number one
company, ExxonMobil, on the 2009 Fortune 500 list. The United
States grants China permanent normal trade relation status,
clearing the way for its entry into the World Trade Organization.
1997
1999
1998
Google is founded by two
doctoral students who came
up with the idea as part of a
research project.
2000
America’s population stands at 284 million. U.S. GDP is $10.11 trillion.
Federal spending totals $1.79 trillion. The nation breaks a record for the
longest period of sustained economic expansion in history. The average
life expectancy is 74, and the median household income is $41,994.
www.uschambermagazine.com
10/23/09 7:14 PM
FR
E
FREE ENTERPRISE
November 2009
Small Businesses Featured
At Campaign Launch
The U.S. Chamber kicked off its American Free
Enterprise. Dream Big. campaign on October 14, 2009,
with a high-energy event at its headquarters featuring
the personal stories of successful business owners.
Chamber president and CEO Tom Donohue opened
the program by explaining the crux of the campaign.
“We must pull ourselves out of the worst recession since
the Great Depression and create 20 million jobs over the
next 10 years. Over the long run, only the private sector,
powered by free enterprise, can keep America working.”
Donohue cited rising protectionism, federal
spending equal to nearly 25% of the nation’s gross
domestic product, and a national debt that has doubled
over the past decade as significant challenges to
America’s free enterprise system. “If we aren’t careful,
the growth of government spending, taxes, deficits,
debt, and regulations has the potential to suffocate our
private economy,” he told the packed hall of Chamber
employees, supporters, and small business members.
Added Chamber Vice Chairman Tom Bell, “Our free
enterprise system is a complicated balance of risk and reward,
regulation and autonomy, success and failure. Many ideas
don’t take flight, but the many that do change our country
and our world for the better. At this critical time in our
history, we must look for more ways to launch those ideas.”
Ray Pinard, CEO of 48HourPrint.com, an online
commercial printing company headquartered in Boston,
and Patricia Owen, owner of FACES DaySpa in South
Carolina, told their stories of how free enterprise enabled
them to fulfill their dreams of owning their own businesses.
Chamber Chairman Bob Milligan, founder and chairman
of M.I. Industries, an animal and meat protein processing
company based in Lincoln, Nebraska, told the audience
how he started his own company hauling fertilizer and
agricultural chemicals at age 19. He said, “The United
States is still the gold standard for free enterprise.
We need to live up to that, to protect and strengthen
the greatest economic system the world has ever known.”
From left to right: Business leaders Ray Pinard, Patricia Owen, and Bob Milligan, Chamber chairman;
Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue; and Chamber Vice Chairman Tom Bell each presented at the campaign launch.
be taken for
The private sector can no longer
policy
and
granted. We need leadership
innovative
be
to
decisions that allow businesses
ds.
nee
ion
in delivering the jobs our nat
by the
d
che
The broad-based initiative laun
e will
ssag
me
U.S. Chamber ensures that this
to
as
l
wel
be delivered to Americans as
y.
policymakers across the countr
David Olson
President
ce
Minnesota Chamber of Commer
Free enterprise
can be a great
equalizer. It ca
n turn depres
sed
communities
into thriving
centers. No en
tity can increa
se
the number of
new jobs like
a
small busines
s that is create
d and
driven by a pu
re entrepreneu
r. It
is what makes
America grea
t.
Harry C. Alfor
d Jr.
P esident and
Pr
CEO
National Blac
k Chamber
of Commerce
o
Apple introduces
the iPod.
Harvard University sophomore
Matt Zuckerburg creates
Facemash, which becomes the
social networking site Facebook.
2001
2003
2002
There are 23 million U.S. small businesses;
6.5 million are owned by women and
4.1 million are owned by minorities. Veterans
make up 14% of all business owners.
e
e
The free enterprise system
is the bedrock of the way
we do business here in
America. If we want to
grow this economy and
create jobs, government
needs to empower, not
burden, entrepreneurs.
Tim Keough
President
Kinsail Corporation
Arlington, Virginia
Free enterprise is the
ability to operate a
business without any
government regulatio
n
beyond what is necessa
ry to ensure a fair pla
ying
field and protect the pu
blic interest. Free
enterprise has worked
best for us where there
are incentives to purch
ase new machinery or
reinvest in our business
. That reinvestment he
lps
us create jobs, offer co
mpetitive benefits, an
d
give back to our comm
unity.
Shelby Ricketts
Chief Operating Officer
Insul-Fab of Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dow Jones
reaches its peak
at 14,279 points
in October.
2005
2007
The online video sharing and viewing
community YouTube is invented by three
former PayPal employees. Google buys
it a year later for $1.65 billion.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce launches
the American Free Enterprise. Dream Big.
campaign on October 14.
2008
2009
A global financial crisis necessitates
government interventions. There
are 27 million small businesses in
the United States.
www.uschambermagazine.com
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Photos: Ian Wagreich
7
10/26/09 3:25 PM
December 2009
C a p i t a l R o u n d u p | WASHINGTON IN BRIEF
Member Discounts and Services
Chamber of Commerce of the United States® discounts and services are offered to members ONLY.
Save on Car Rental
800-228-4358
Save on FedEx Shipping
AVIS—Enroll for free in the Avis Corporate
Awards® Program to enjoy premium
services and savings. Key benefits
include low corporate rates, members only
discounts, and reward days.
www.uschamber.com/avis
866-931-4597
Budget—Get Savings + Rebates when you
enroll in the Budget Business Program®.
U.S. Chamber members can also sign up
for complimentary Fastbreak® membership
that lets you skip the lines and go straight
to your car.
800-345-6227
FedEx—U.S. Chamber members are eligible
for reduced rates—up to 26% on select
FedEx Express® services and up to 12% on
select FedEx Ground® services. The FedEx
Express discounts include a 5% discount when
you create a FedEx Express shipping label
using FedEx Ship Manager® at fedex.com and
other FedEx® electronic shipping solutions.
Plus, you save up to 70% on FedEx Freight®
and FedEx National LTLSM services. Save on
the benefits that make a difference to your
business, including easy access to
shipping tools.
www.uschamber.com/budget
www.uschamber.com/fedex
Save on FedEx Freight
Save on FedEx OfficeSM Business Services
800-345-6227
FedEx Freight—U.S. Chamber members can
save up to 70% on FedEx Freight® and FedEx
National LTLSM services. For on-time reliability
and for professional handling of your freight
needs, count on FedEx Freight and FedEx
National LTL to deliver. FedEx Freight is a
leading provider of regional LTL (less-thantruckload) services. In addition, FedEx National
LTL offers a competitively priced shipping
solution for your long-haul needs.
FedEx Office—U.S. Chamber members
can save up to 20% on select business
services. Whether you need to create a trade
show poster, employee training manual, or
professional sales presentation, FedEx Office
has a solution to meet your needs and a
price to meet your budget.
800-345-6227
Chamber members save on:
• Copying and printing
• Signs and graphics
• Other select services
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Target and Hire the Best Candidates for Your Business
Save at Sam’s Club
Monster—The world’s leading online
careers and recruitment resource provides
U.S. Chamber members with tools for every
hiring need.
Sam’s Club®—As a U.S. Chamber member,
you’ll receive a $10 gift card when you
sign up for a new or renew an existing
Sam’s Club Business Membership. Discover
exceptional values on essentials and
specialty items for your business and home.
As a Chamber member, you can quickly
create a TargetPost job ad, perfect for
finding skilled and hourly workers, for $50.
That’s a savings of 66% off the regular price!
877-870-2158
Visit the Monster benefits page today to learn
about special benefits, such as the Hiring
Toolkit and discounts on jobs and resumes.
www.uschamber.com/monster
800-726-7258
Additional benefits:
• No minimums, no contracts
• Business Members-only hours
• Online ordering
• 100% satisfaction guarantee on
merchandise, membership, and more
www.uschamber.com/samsclub
Members also have access to a variety of Chamber programs, information, and
services by visiting www.uschamber.com/member.
Free Enterprise
Chamber of Commerce
of the United States
8
1615 H STREET, NW
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20062
P08_Nov09_fm.indd 8
Publisher
Thomas J. Collamore
Executive Editor
Kevin Ganster
Editor In Chief
Gregory S. Galdabini
Editor
Laurie S. Frankel
Staff Writer
Sheryll Poe
Sr. Graphic Designer
Miyoung Yoon
Sr. Production Director
Heidi Gioseffi
Free Enterprise is published monthly by the United States Chamber of Commerce at 1615 H Street,
NW, Washington, DC 20062-2000. Copyright © 2009 by the United States Chamber of Commerce.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form—print,
electronic, or otherwise—without the expressed written permission of the publisher.
If you have any comments on this publication, please write us at the address above or send an
e-mail to [email protected].
MEMBERS
Photographer/Photo www.uschambermagazine.com
Editor Ian Wagreich
Production Artist
Brian G. Miller
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customer services, call 800-638-6582
or e-mail [email protected].
10/23/09 7:18 PM