Peterson Receives Guardian of Small Business Award

WASHINGTON, DC – National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has awarded Congressman Collin C. Peterson the 2010 Guardian of Small Business Award. This award is given to Members of Congress that have a strong small business voting record – voting more than 70 percent of the time with small business. Peterson was the only Democrat in the Minnesota delegation to receive this distinction.

"I started a small business of my own and know the difficulties small businesses face. For my entire time in Congress, I’ve made standing up for small business owners and employees a priority," Peterson said. "I work hard in my role as Congressman for the 7th District to make sure anything coming out of DC is friendly to small businesses.”

NFIB used 7 votes in the 111th Congress to determine the score. Peterson received an 86 percent rating – one of two top scorers in the state.

“In the 111th Congress, Representative Peterson proved that he is a champion of small business,” said Dan Danner, NFIB president and CEO. “The Guardian of Small Business Award is a token of our deep appreciation that small business owners have for elected officials who promote and protect their right to own, operate and grow their businesses.”

In addition to the Guardian of Small Business award, Congressman Peterson has been awarded the 2010 Golden Triangle award from National Farmers Union and the 2010 Friend of Farm Bureau award from American Farm Bureau. Both of these awards honor Congressman Peterson’s dedication and advocacy on behalf of all of the farmers and ranchers in the 7th Congressional District.

"I have always worked towards common sense changes because they are good for Minnesota, good for small business and good for the United States," Peterson said. “I believe in this current economy helping our small businesses succeed is vital to our recovery.”

NFIB is a non-profit, non-partisan member organization which represents the concerns of small businesses at the federal level and at state legislatures.

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