The August district work period is in full swing, and over the last couple of weeks I’ve had a lot of productive visits around the Third District. This is important time I get to spend meeting with constituents and businesses to check in and hear how things are going. Here are just a few highlights.

Due to our abundance of farms and ranches and with one of our top commodities being soybeans, Missouri is a leader in the biodiesel industry, consistently ranking in the top three in the country. We have a $1.3 billion biodiesel industry that supports thousands of jobs for our state. So it’s no surprise that the Clean Fuels Alliance America is headquartered here in Missouri. As the top advocate for thousands of Americans working in the biofuels industry, the Alliance has the difficult and important job of combatting the political attacks on agriculture and the energy sector in the U.S. I was honored to be invited to their ribbon cutting in Jefferson City, and I look forward to this industry growing in coordination with Missouri farmers. 

You may have heard of Shopify – the e-commerce company that helps businesses of all sizes operate. In my capacity as the top Republican on the House Small Business Committee, Shopify’s small business activities are very interesting to me. While Shopify is utilized by many larger businesses, it’s an extremely useful tool for small business owners to get their ideas off the ground. With over 10,000 merchants and more than $1 billion in total merchant sales in Missouri, Shopify has a very large presence here and helps creates thousands of jobs. I had a very productive roundtable with many of these merchants and got to hear about some of the challenges they’re facing, as well as what can be done in Congress to make being a business owner right now a little bit easier. 

I had a great visit at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Missouri where Toyota produces cylinder heads, or the “lungs of an engine.” This facility builds thousands of cylinder heads a day and 2.6 million a year. This facility has called Missouri home for more than 30 years and now provides more than 1,000 jobs to our state. With a highly skilled workforce and a central location in the United States, many companies like Toyota see the value in establishing a presence in our great state making manufacturing one of Missouri’s top industries.  

From the Lake to St. Charles, Fulton to Jefferson County, I always enjoy getting to spend time in the District. We still have a couple more weeks of district work period and I look forward to seeing some more familiar faces as well as some new around Missouri. This time helps me bring your concerns and a fresh perspective back to Washington, D.C. so I can continue to serve you in the most effective way possible. I hope to see you on the road soon.