Spotlight on the 116th Congress: Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH

QAs the son of a small-business owner, what qualities or skills did you develop growing up that you utilize as a senator?

AI learned a lot growing up in a small-business family. I worked there and got to watch my dad build the business from scratch through integrity, accountability and a lot of hard work. His motto was “total reliability and people and product.” He always viewed it as a team effort, focusing on helping people in the company meet their potential. He was ahead of his time in a lot of ways, including providing profit sharing and retirement savings accounts long before that became the norm. The lessons I learned from him combined with my own experiences now as a small-business owner have allowed me to better understand the real-world impacts that policies made in D.C. have on small businesses in Ohio.

QHow is relief legislation, similar to what was passed during the pandemic, important to small-business owners?

AThrough no fault of their own, a lot of small businesses have been under stress with the pandemic. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in particular has helped keep small businesses like Vinylmax in Hamilton, Ohio, and World Class Plastics of Russells Point, Ohio, afloat by providing loans – which in turn become forgivable grants – to keep employees on payroll with their health care and other benefits. This program has been a lifeline for so many in Ohio. I hear about it wherever I go.

QHow has your role on the Senate Committee on Finance influenced your opinions on the impact of legislation on small business?

AWhether it is taxes, trade, health care, or pensions and retirement security, the Finance Committee is a place where we truly impact small businesses in everything we do. As we craft public policy solutions, we must always consider the impact of these policies on smaller companies, and that’s been my focus.

QWhat challenges have you helped small businesses in your district overcome?

AOver the years I’ve focused a lot on small-business tax cuts, regulatory relief and making retirement plans simpler to use for small businesses. Recently, I was proud to help Cincinnati small-business owner Troy Parker receive a $235,000 PPP loan in June after we worked to expand PPP eligibility to cover Second Chance businesses owned by individuals who have a previous criminal record but have turned their lives around. Troy is a Second Chance success story, having started Innovative Labor and Cleaning in 2015 after re-entering the community. He hires others returning to the community, many of whom struggle with addiction and mental health issues.

The PPP application initially asked applicants to declare unrelated felony records, which prohibited him from accessing the loan program. Together, we worked with the administration to remove barriers to PPP loans for entrepreneurs who have been involved with the justice system.

QIn what ways are you seeking feedback from small businesses in Ohio and using that information in Washington, D.C.?

AOver the August recess, I’ve visited several small businesses across Ohio to hear directly from them about how the federal response has helped or hurt them thus far and what they need moving forward to keep the doors open and continue to hire people. I look forward to taking the ideas and concerns I’ve heard back with me to Washington as the negotiations on the next COVID-19 response package continue. S

Brian Jordan

Company Name: Potters Wings Partner(s): Bill Hall, Jason Hall Year Became a BWW® Franchisee: 2000 Total Number of BWW Locations: 7 States Where Located: Mississippi and Alabama Total Number of Employees: 570

Brian Jordan, left, and Jason Hall of Potters Wings are testing drone delivery of food from two of their BWW sports bars and plan to start making limited deliveries later this year.

How did you and your partner(s)

meet? We are family – myself; my father-in-law, Bill Hall; and brother-in-law, Jason Hall.

What drew you to the brand?

We owned and operated 11 BURGER KING® locations in the Jackson, Mississippi, market. In 1999, we began looking to diversify as fast food had become very competitive with dollar value menus and deep discounting. Jason was graduating from college, and we were looking to find a niche concept/ sports bar that we could develop moving forward. I attended The Ohio State University in the mid-’80s and spent many Tuesdays in the original Buffalo Wild Wings® off North High Street. I saw an ad in Nation’s Restaurant News about BW3® franchising and reached out to Bill McClintock.

We received the franchise info packet the same day we received a call from a fellow BK® franchisee asking us to fly to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in two weeks to attend an important franchisee association meeting. Whether this was a coincidence or destiny, we flew to Minneapolis to attend our meeting and spent the next day at the BWW corporate office with Jim Disbrow, Sally Smith and the rest of their team and visited a couple of locations in Minneapolis with Bill. We then visited several Columbus, Ohio, locations that fall on trips back for Ohio State games and decided that we were in. We loved the concept and the ground-floor opportunity – there were approximately 100 locations at that time.

What is your favorite thing about

the brand? I love the sports atmosphere and the people. We all played sports and are huge sports fans, so we love that side of the business. At the end of the day, being in the restaurant business, you have to love people. I have been so blessed with many relationships that I have developed with team members who started as hourly employees and are now in leadership roles on our management teams, as well as those who have moved on to other careers outside of our organization. And, of course, our guests – we really emphasize to our team members that they get to know our guests on a personal level … not just their food or drink order. We do not have “regulars” in our restaurants – we have friends. I can’t count the number of guests that have become personal friends of mine over the years.

What other concepts do you own?

Buffalo Wild Wings only. We sold the BURGER KINGs in 2006.

What are your current top three

business goals? We are currently building our seventh sports bar, which will open in October, and we’re in the process of negotiating a new ADA. That said, our top three goals are to attract and retain the best people; continue to grow our current sports bars AUVs and profitability; and pay off debt.

Describe your best recent busi-

ness decision. When our dine-in services were suspended because of COVID-19, we made the decision that we were not going to lay off our team members. We wanted to keep our teams in place so we would be ready for when it was safe to reopen our dining rooms. It cost us on the front end, having to carry that payroll, but it has been so beneficial to us. So many other restaurants and competitors that let their people go have really struggled operationally because they have not been able to staff back up.

What is the best business advice

you have received? I’ve received so much great advice throughout my life from family, friends, pastors, teachers, coaches, mentors and business associates. It really is too difficult to break it down to just one piece of advice, so I’ll give you a few. 1. It’s not magic, just hard work. You have to be willing to work harder – and hopefully smarter – than your competition. The harder you work the more things go your way. 2. Be a servant leader. Be unselfish and serve others, team members, guests and the communities we operate in. 3. Maintain a balanced life with focus on God, family, work and personal growth.

Describe the biggest industry

change since you started. I’ve been in the restaurant business since 1987. It was much simpler then. It is more difficult today because of all the federal, state and local regulations. Industry and insurance changes and challenges, as well as dealing with all the difficulties of social media and a very litigious society, make things more challenging.

Describe your current biggest challenge as a franchisee.

Obviously, it has been and continues to be managing our business throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is your favorite BWW wing

sauce? Caribbean Jerk.

If I weren’t a franchisee, I would be … An independent restaurateur. S

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