Timeline Stories

NFIB hires William J. “Denny” Dennis Jr., to lead and expand a research department that grows out of the success of the Quarterly Small Business Economic Trends Report.  

NFIB issues the Guardian of Small Business Award to members of Congress, who vote in support of NFIB Key Votes determined by the Member Ballot, “One member, one vote.”  

NFIB hires James D. “Mike” McKevitt, a former member of Congress and assistant U.S. attorney general, to lead NFIB’s Washington, D.C., office. 

NFIB creates its first press department. NFIB hires Rich Farana, a public relations professional, to create NFIB’s outreach to the media.  

William Dunkelberg produces the first NFIB Quarterly Economic Report, which becomes the Small Business Economic Trends (SBET), the most sought-after information on small business by lawmakers, the Federal Reserve, Department of Labor, financial institutions, and others.

To help students understand private enterprise, NFIB starts the education department, the predecessor to the NFIB Education Foundation, and later, the Young Entrepreneur Foundation.

The first issue of How Congress Voted is published, providing a clear record of each representative’s and senator’s votes on small-business issues.

Johnson starts the state government relations department with three regional directors and a national director.

Membership database and field assignments are transferred from Addressograph plates to magnetic tapes as part of the “computerization” of NFIB.

Wilson Johnson meets with President Nixon and then, quarterly with White House staff to discuss small-business problems—the genesis of NFIB’s quarterly economic surveys. William C. Dunkelberg is hired as NFIB Chief Economist.