About
Job Creators Network (JCN) was founded over a decade ago by one of the country’s greatest entrepreneurs, Bernie Marcus. As a co-founder of The Home Depot, Marcus knew the challenges of starting and growing a business. Marcus was raised by poor immigrants and he also knew first hand the power of America’s free-market economy and the opportunities it provides for all Americans. JCN remembers these roots and is dedicated to protecting the free-market system and freedom from high taxes, and invasive regulations. JCN has been instrumental in passing tax cuts, reducing burdensome regulations and even using the courts to stop government overreach.
Job Creators Network believes the best defense against bad government policy is a well-educated public. We are the voice of Main Street.
Mission
Job Creators Network is a nonpartisan organization whose mission is to protect Main Street and the 90 million people who depend on the success of small businesses.
JCN provides business leaders and entrepreneurs with the tools to become the voice of free enterprise in the media, in Congress, in state capitals, in their communities, and their workplaces—allowing them to hold politicians accountable to job creators and their employees.
Leadership
Brad Anderson
Brad spent more than three decades at Best Buy, a multinational consumer electronics retailer, retiring in 2009 as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Vice Chairman. He began his career with Best Buy in 1973 as a commissioned salesperson for Sound of Music, the precursor to Best Buy. The core of his legacy at the company is best exemplified in its evolution from a product-centered business to a customer-centric one where consumer needs dictate what and how products are sold. Brad returned to the Best Buy board as a director from 2013 to 2016. He is currently the Executive Board Chair of the Job Creators Network (JCN).
Alfredo Ortiz
Alfredo Ortiz is the CEO of the Job Creators Network, where he has led the defense of small businesses from the onslaught of bad government policies. Alfredo has testified before legislative committees about the impact of taxation and regulation on small business growth, and speaks frequently to business organizations across the nation about the need for job creators to seize responsibility for defending free enterprise.
Elaine Parker
Elaine is a seasoned communications professional and former small businesswoman. Prior to leading Job Creators Network, she co-owned a Goodyear dealership where she navigated all the typical hurdles thrown in an entrepreneur’s way, including rising labor costs, taxes, and government red tape. Before that, she worked as a Public Relations Manager at Chrysler. This experience provides the perfect background to lead one of the country’s predominant small business groups.
Mary Thomas
Mary Thomas is the Chief Strategic Growth Officer of the Job Creators Network, where she drives the growth of the organization, expanding its reach and enhancing its steadfast defense of small businesses against the increasingly hostile public policy and regulatory regimes they face today. Mary introduces JCN to new small business owners and connects with new stakeholders to strengthen JCN’s coalition focused on promoting the free market capitalist system that has made America the most prosperous nation in the history of the world.
Phil Willard
Phil is responsible for the overall financial planning and management of JCN to ensure that the organization is being operated within the guidelines set for nonprofit organizations. This includes short- and long-term planning to ensure the organization has the necessary resources to meet the goals and objectives of the organization.
For general inquiries, contact us at [email protected]. Media inquiries can be directed to [email protected].