Mark and his wife Christine own a small retail shop in Battle Creek. As a small business owner, Mark understands the pressures of making payroll in this tough economy.
That's why he's fought to make credit more accessible to small businesses by supporting bills that would increase the amount credit unions are able to lend to small businesses, and creating a new direct lending program through the Small Business Administration by taxing excessive bonuses at bailed out Wall Street firms.
Additionally, as one of the only members of Congress with a full-time Economic Development Director on his staff, Mark has worked closely with local businesses to help them compete for federal contracts and bring jobs to Michigan.