Get the most out of your Inc. online experience by registering and joining the Inc. community today. Get access to all Inc.com content and priority invites to free Inc. networking events in your area.

Login using:


Or login directly through Inc.com

Newsmakers

5 Entrepreneurs Join Congress

By Jason Del Rey |  @DelRey   | 
VOTED IN Polis on election night

David Zalubowski / AP

VOTED IN Polis on election night

 

When the 111th Congress gathers this month in Washington, D.C., at least five business owners are expected to be sworn in as freshman lawmakers. Among them: Jared Polis, a Democrat who represents the Boulder, Colorado, area. Polis, 33, is the founder of several Web companies, including the greeting-card site BlueMountain.com and ProFlowers.com, which ranked No. 7 on the Inc. 500 in 2003.

A few years ago, Polis left the business world to chair the state board of education and launch charter schools that serve immigrants and homeless youth. What ethos does he intend to bring to Capitol Hill? "I think anybody with an entrepreneurial background is wary of large, centralized solutions," he says. "People like me want to see government deployed at the level closest to the people and with the most flexibility."

Read more:

  • What You're Not Doing to Maximize Profit (But Should Be)
  • Redbox's Smart Move: What You Can Learn
  • What Makes a Company Resilient?

    • Jason Del Rey

    Senior reporter Jason Del Rey covers technology, branding, and company culture for Inc. magazine and contributes to the From the Reporters daily blog. Before joining Inc., his work appeared in Newsday, The (Newark) Star-Ledger, and the Staten Island Advance, and on ESPN.com. He lives in New York City.


    Sign-up for our Small Business Success Newsletter