Job Creators Network
The Job Creators Network (JCN) is a conservative U.S. advocacy group. It was founded by Bernie Marcus, the co-founder and former CEO of Home Depot. The organization has received significant funding from the Mercer Family Foundation, the Marcus Foundation, and Phil Anschutz. Activities. JCN launched a "Bring Small Businesses Back" (BSBB) campaign in 2016. In April 2016, JCN hosted a BSBB event in Orlando featuring Frank Luntz, Mike Gallagher, and a panel of small business owners. Throughout 2017, JCN advocated for tax cuts through a campaign dubbed “Tax Cuts Now”, and offered the group's support  to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The Tax Cuts Now campaign included a bus tour that made stops across the country. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich penned an op-ed supporting the campaign in "USA TODAY" with Brad Anderson, former CEO of Best Buy and a member of JCN. JCN launched another bus tour in 2018, with the goal of promoting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan joined JCN at stops on the tour, including one hosted at a small business in Clinton, Wisconsin. The organization delivered thousands of petitions  to Ryan in support of the legislation. In February 2019, the group put up a billboard in New York City's Times Square blaming U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Amazon's decision to abandon the building of the company's second headquarters in Queens. After the congresswoman tweeted that the billboard was "wack", JCN put up two more billboards, one saying "Hey AOC, saw your wack tweet", the other, "Hey AOC, this billboard cost about $4,000. But you cost NY 25,000 jobs and $4,000,000,000 in annual lost wages." In May 2021, JCN filed a lawsuit against Major  League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association after the league decided to move the All Star Game from Atlanta to Denver in protest over Georgia’s voting laws. JCN highlighted this lawsuit in a series of Times Square billboards, including one criticizing MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, saying he has “no balls, all strikes.” A judge ruled against JCN and the lawsuit was dropped. JCN regularly distributes a “Defender of Small Business” award to members of Congress. Recipients include Missouri Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer and Minnesota Rep. Jim Hagedorn. The organization runs the "Information Station" website, which offers "explainer" type  videos and articles from a pro-business perspective. Political Advocacy During COVID 19. JCN and related entities have promoted experimental drugs as part of the COVID-19 pandemic, through their lobbying group Healthcare For You. They have placed Facebook ads to generate support for a petition, texted physicians, and lobbied the White House to encourage chloroquine as an experimental treatment for COVID-19, the disease responsible for the pandemic. Its use has been promoted by Donald Trump, Sean Hannity, and Rudy Giuliani, among others. Their spokesperson, Elaine Parker, stated that over 700 doctors had signed the petition. JCN's president, Alfredo Ortiz , has been in direct contact with Steven Mnuchin, speaking with him three times in one day during stimulus package discussions. Ortiz recommended having private banks distribute PPP loans, rather than the Small Business Administration, a change Mnuchin implemented in the final policy. Trump and other White House staff have financial ties to drugmakers that are ramping up production of the drug. JCN joined the Save Our Country coalition to advocate for governments to allow small businesses to reopen during the pandemic. In 2021, the organization announced its intentions to sue the Biden administration over its vaccine mandate for private businesses  with more than 100 employees. Membership. JCN was founded by Bernie Marcus, the co-founder and former CEO of Home Depot. Since January 2014, the organization's president and CEO is Alfredo Ortiz, a former Pepsi and Kraft executive, while the president and director of communications for the JCN foundation is Elaine Parker. Its members include: