Rob’s upbringing taught him the value of hard work, grit, determination, and what small businesses mean to a family and a community. Rob's great-grandfather moved to Riverton, Wyoming, in 1906 to serve as the surveyor for the town, canal, and road projects throughout Wyoming. His grandfather George was born in that same town in 1910 and drove trucks for his entire adult life. Rob’s father Bob was born in Riverton in 1947. ​When Rob was born, his family lived in a camper while his dad moved around the state on a road construction crew. When Rob was two, his dad quit in order to seek more stable opportunities for his young family. They moved into the trailer court with a single-wide.
More than ever, small businesses are being asked to play by the same rules as large multinational corporations like Amazon and Walmart. This is unfair and unrealistic. During my first term, I led the charge to exempt small businesses from burdensome sales tax regulations and to delay the impact of new state rules. My bill to exempt small businesses from these sales tax regulations was signed into law in January 2022.
Small business paid a steep price during the COVID pandemic, and good state policy allowed Colorado’s economy to recover more quickly than that of most other states. I will continue to do everything I can to support this most fundamental building block of local communities.