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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/94351
me, from a legislative perspective and financially, was credit and debit card interchange which is our second largest expense and something I have no control over. I previously believed health care was the most regulated industry, but I've started to believe it's ours. Everything that we sell—liquor, tobacco, food, fuel—and our employees are regu- lated by some government acronym. I realized that although we are a relatively smaller company com- pared to others, but still significant, it's very impor- tant to educate the people making decisions." "Wendy has done a great job at the federal, state and local levels reaching out and meeting the people who represent her," said Columbus. "What she has done is recognize that political risk is just another kind of risk that entrepreneurs have to address and manage every day." One of the first tasks Chronister undertook was debit fee reform by testifying before Dick Durbin's (D-IL) Senate subcommittee, which led to the Durbin Amendment addressing the issue. She is not only one of the senator's constituents, but actu- ally grew up "down the street" from him. "She has known Sen. Durbin for many years, so when it came down to the swipe fee issue, she was available to us as an individual who was well acquainted with our sponsor and who he knew and trusted," said Columbus. "That makes a guy like Dick Durbin willing to go out on a limb and face some pretty significant pushback from some very powerful economic and political entities. I think her role in this process was indispensable." Chronister noted that being pragmatic and polit- ically flexible are useful attributes when becoming involved in the legislative process to support indus- try issues. The same can be said for the associations and how they spend PAC money and otherwise develop relationships in Washington. "Dick Durbin and Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT) were big champions of this reform," she said. "I'm not sure that (I agree with Durbin) on every issue, but I will give him 100 percent on this issue. And I'm not sure there is a politician I agree with 100 percent on either side of the aisle, but I think Durbin recognized that it was a significant public policy issue, and he worked very hard on behalf of the industry." Chronister noted that getting involved came with some trepidation, but that quickly evaporated. "I have to admit the first time I became involved I was a little bit timid," she said. "And then I realized after being on the Hill and in Springfield—these www.npnweb.com n NPN Magazine people are inundated with many issues and nobody knows about your own business more than you," she said. "Frankly, you cannot be for or against somebody on an issue until you've at least educated him or her about it—then you can. Part of the intimidation factor was overcome when I realized that when you go in and talk about your own busi- ness, nobody that's been elected knows more about your own business than you do. All you have to do is go out and talk about how you feel and how it affects you." Columbus noted that as simple as Wendy Chronister makes it sound—and functionally it is not overly complicated—she brings some spe- cial gifts to the table. "It's not just things like the Durbin amendment," he said. "I know that she works in the state legislature, she'll work with the Wendy Chronister NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 21