LANSING, MI – The Small Business Association of Michigan has honored state Rep. Greg VanWoerkom (R-Norton Shores) as its 2023 Legislator of the Year.
“Rep. VanWoerkom has been a strong advocate for small business throughout his legislative career and has demonstrated a focus on finding innovative solutions to our state’s workforce challenges,” said SBAM President and CEO Brian Calley. “Identifying strategies to reverse Michigan’s low labor force participation rate and population loss are critical priorities for SBAM, and we need legislators who are committed to that hard work. We are proud to honor Rep. VanWoerkom as our 2023 Legislator of the Year for the persistence he has shown this past year in prioritizing issues important to small business.”
SBAM honored VanWoerkom for his pro-small business voting record and commitment to workforce issues in general. A prime example of his legislative work is championing the MI Tri-Share childcare program, which shares the cost of childcare between the state, employers and employees. Once the program was established, VanWoerkom helped implement various metrics at the department level, which helped lead the program from being a conceptual pilot program to a budget staple in just a few short years. To date, 59 out of 83 counties are participating.
“I am honored to be chosen as the 2023 SBAM Legislator of the Year,” said VanWoerkom. “Small businesses fuel the economy in every corner of our state. My district encompasses so many innovative Michiganders who get up every day and contribute to their communities in an impactful way. From childcare to housing to reducing bureaucratic barriers for people to pursue their endeavors – I am going to continue to be a voice for our entrepreneurs who choose to call Michigan home.”
Rep. VanWoerkom represents the 88th district in the Michigan House of Representatives, located in parts of Muskegon and Ottawa counties. He is the vice chair of both the House Tax Policy Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor and Economic Opportunity. He is also a member of the Economic Development and Small Business Committee, and the Health Policy Committee.
The 2023 Legislator of the Year award was presented to VanWoerkom on June 15, during SBAM’s annual meeting in Lansing.
More information on MI Tri-Share is available here.