Brad @ Your Business
Working to Grow the Tenth District Economy
What is “Brad at Your Business”?
I was profoundly honored, after a more than 25-year career in business, to be sworn in to the 113th Congress by the people of Illinois’s Tenth District. Shortly after I took office, a senior colleague noted that my new job title and my job description are the same: “Representative.” It’s a message I have taken to heart as a member of the House Small Business Committee.
In that vein, building on my business background and my businessman’s approach to problem solving, I launched “Brad at Your Business,” an initiative designed around Stephen Covey’s fifth principle of highly-effective people: “First understand, then be understood.” Every time I return home from Washington, I visit companies around our district, so far calling on almost 80 businesses, averaging more than one visit per week. I have had countless more conversations with individuals—business owners, managers and employees—seeking to understand the issues, challenges and opportunities they face.
Building on lessons learned on some of my initial visits, I introduced my first bill, the AMERICA Works Act, which would help train skilled workers and foster our country’s manufacturing success. Inspired by many subsequent business visits, I have introduced addition legislative initiatives, from bills to expand On-the-Job training and help veterans start their own businesses to resolutions aimed at ensuring the interests of small businesses are addressed during tax reform. You can read more about these efforts here
Lessons Learned
From Ideas to Action
Recommend a Business for a Visit
Further Reading:
- Cole-Parmer Newsletter: “Congressman Schneider Champions Manufacturing and Small Business During Visit to Cole-Parmer.”
- Progress Illinois: “Schneider Launches Initiative to Support Small Businesses.”
- Highland Park News: “Training Programs for Manufacturing Jobs Top Schneider Agenda.”