Spotlight on the 117th Congress: Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA-11

QWhat skills or perspectives from your background do you apply as a public official?

APrior to serving in Congress, I was a small-business owner. After graduating from high school, I built a small business over a period of 25 years into a regional leader in the type of construction our company did. I employed hundreds of individuals in family-sustaining jobs. I saw firsthand the impact of government regulation on small businesses and how that held us back.

As a small-business owner, you are constantly facing challenges and complex problems. I previously mentioned that my business was impacted by what I believe to be overly burdensome regulations and tax policy. It did not seem like policymakers or bureaucrats understood the impact of their decisions on small businesses.

Prior to serving in Congress, I also served as a municipal official and as a state senator. My approach to service in municipal, state and the federal government has been about working to address the many challenges we face as a country. Service in government is about working collaboratively with your neighbors to builder a stronger community.

I am working to reignite the American Dream. As someone who has been fortunate to have the opportunity to live the American Dream, I want to work to ensure that future generations of Americans have access to and the ability to live out their own dreams.

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

ATo be an effective member of Congress, you must be in constant communication with the constituents you represent. I am frequently in touch with the small-business community in my district because I am out there visiting small businesses and learning about what issues are impacting them most. One of the most common problems that I hear from business owners across my district is that they are having difficulty finding individuals to fill their open positions. Labor shortages hold back businesses from full operations in bad times and from expanding and taking on new opportunities or risks in good times. It is something that I experienced as a small-business owner in the construction industry.

While many factors have driven the record-high inflation we’re experiencing today – from reckless spending to global supply chain disruptions – the workforce challenges are also contributing to rising prices. We simply must get our economy moving and growing again. And I have introduced legislation to aid in this endeavor, known as the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act, while also filling the gap in the existing spectrum of visas by providing a category to complement the other categories for high-skilled, agriculture or seasonal labor.

QWhat do you see as the current biggest threat to small-business owners?

AThe Biden administration’s plans to raise taxes and increase the regulatory burden on small-business owners are threats that cannot be denied. This administration continues to demonstrate its commitment to making it more difficult for small businesses to grow and thrive.

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

AIn addition to working to keep taxes low and to fight the red tape of Washington’s bureaucracy, my office is also able to help small businesses with issues they may be experiencing with the federal government. For instance, my office worked with several constituent businesses to help provide them information on COVID-19 relief programs. My office works to ensure that constituents receive timely responses to their inquiries and that their issues are addressed. We cannot always guarantee each constituent the outcome that they would like, but we work to ensure their concerns are heard by the federal government.

QHow has your role on the Budget and Ways and Means committees influenced your opinions on the impact of legislation on small business?

AMy service on these committees has offered greater insight into the impacts of federal policy on small businesses.

On the Budget Committee we discuss and evaluate issues impacting our nation’s financial health. Our ever-growing national debt is an enormous long-term threat to our nation. Every dollar spent servicing our debt, meaning dollars spent paying the interest on the debt already accrued, is a dollar not spent on funding national priorities. This impacts our ability to invest in infrastructure, our national defense and every other funding priority.

I serve as a member of the Trade Subcommittee on the Committee on Ways & Means, and I have greater insight into the impact of our nation’s trade policy on small businesses. The congressional district that I represent has approximately $2.6 billion in annual goods exports, with strong agricultural and manufacturing bases. The Ways & Means Committee also has jurisdiction over tax policy, which impacts every business across the nation.

I appreciate the opportunity to serve on two key committees that address the issues impacting my constituents. S

LOOK

LISTEN READ

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Ed Lynnw

All About Wings LLC

Year Became a BWW® Franchisee: 2004 Total Number of BWW Locations: 8 Total Number of Employees: 400-plus

Ed Lynn, right, celebrates with David Young after Young became general manager of All About Wings LLC’s Oklahoma City Buffalo Wild Wings.

How did you and your partner(s) meet?

I was friends with an architect that got the design/construction management contract for the first Buffalo Wild Wings® in Oklahoma City in 2000. I became friends with the original franchisee, then became his partner in 2004 and finally bought him out in 2021, but not until we built four more stores together. I subsequently acquired three more stores in northwest Arkansas for a total of eight.

What drew you to the brand?

Lucky timing and other people’s missteps. The formula for success is pretty simple: hot wings, cold beer and serve people. I’m not that smart, but I have common sense and I care.

What is your favorite thing about the brand?

There are so many great attributes of Buffalo Wild Wings, it’s hard to just list one. I think our most unique characteristic is how each store has its own personality, reflecting the cumulative personalities of its managers and team members. We’re a national brand with a special local feel.

What other concepts do you own?

I’ve owned a couple of Marble Slab Creamery stores and two Garbanzo Mediterranean Grills, none of which were successful. After those experiences, I gave my son permission to quickly raise his knee into my groin area if I ever propose doing another non-B-Dubs® restaurant deal.

What are your current top three business goals?

I’m a marketer at heart who probably focuses too much on sales revenue versus profitability. We do well but I know we’re leaving money on the table not attacking Cost of Goods Sold more aggressively, so that’s becoming my obsession or primary 2022 goal. Another goal is to improve employee retention. Last year we hired a dedicated employee engagement director, and we’re making great strides.

Describe your best recent business decision:

To acquire three sports bars in northwest Arkansas. It’s a great market and with our great brand, we expect to do well there.

What is the best business advice you have received? Do for a living what you enjoy, and you should be successful. And if you’re not, at least you’ll have a good time.

Describe the biggest industry change since you started: How much information is available and how it moves.

Describe your current biggest challenge as a franchisee:

Every year there seems to be a new crisis. This year is staffing, and while I believe we’ll make it through just fine, it takes a lot of work.

What will be your focus as a member of the FBS Board of Directors?

Wray Hutchinson and Mark Jones have done a great job, and their leadership will be missed. I hope to support Jim Bitzonis and Roz Mallet with some new energy from a small franchisee with an Oklahoma perspective.

Tell us a little about your family.

Married for 40 years to my college girlfriend. Six kids (two boys and four girls), 8.5 grandkids. All the girls are BWW veterans, while both boys still work here. Our oldest son, Riley, has been with the brand since before me and will probably be around for a long time after I’m gone.

What is your favorite BWW wing sauce?

My first favorite was Hot Bar-B-Q, then Medium with Blue Cheese. I like Mango on grilled chicken and Tai Curry on salads but have eaten more Parm than any other flavor. I like them all except Spicy Garlic. I think it’s everyone in my family’s favorite, but I’ve never liked it.

If I weren’t a franchisee, I would be … We’ll never know. S

Ed Lynn, second from right, earned the Founders Award at the 2021 Buffalo Wild Wings conference. Lynn and team members Riley Lynn, Patrick McAfee and Clyde Smith posed with BWW corporate leaders, including Lyle Tick, John Bowie and Rita Patel.