It’s been quite a year for Line-X. Not only did the company open a new 60,000-sq.-ft. corporate headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama, but it was also named midsize manufacturer of the year by the Business Council of Alabama and placed top in its category in Entrepreneur magazine’s annual Franchise 500 rankings. With those kinds of accolades, it’s no surprise that the company’s congressional representatives are eager to see what all the fuss is about. After hosting U.S. Senator Luther Strange (R-AL) last August, it was U.S. Representative Mo Brooks’ (R-AL) turn for a visit.

The past six months have been action-packed for Mike Braun, who is competing in a closely contested May 8 primary to be Indiana’s Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018. While the days on the campaign trail can be long and arduous, that is nothing new for Braun, who knows what it’s like to put in the time needed to start and grow a business.

President Trump signed a Republican-supported bill into law that overhauls the U.S. tax code and reduces taxes by $1.5 trillion over the next decade. The U.S. Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) just before Christmas. It provides the most sweeping changes to the federal tax code in decades while reducing tax bills for businesses and workers alike.

August 21, 2017, will be remembered as the day the United States experienced its first total solar eclipse since 1979. For U.S. Representative Trent Kelly (R-MS) and the employees of COMP Performance Group, it was also a special day when the paths of an industry-leading manufacturer and a colonel-turned-congressman intersected.