Ohio-based company Miracle-Gro, is now one of the first public companies to donate $200,000 to pro-Romney superPAC Restore Our Future, and despite having the option to support Romney in a way that would keep his company's name private, chose to do it publicly.
James Hagedorn, Miracle-Gro’s chairman and chief executive, made the choice to support Romney with company funds, said Jim King, a senior vice president at the company. The company’s lobbyists presented Hagedorn with options for contributing in the presidential race, including ways to keep the company’s name private.
“His point of view was, ‘If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it in the light of day,’ ” said King, who spoke for the company.
The company would benefit from a Romney presidency, King said, citing the Republican’s policies on corporate tax reform, business regulation and federal spending, and the belief that Romney could revive a weak economy.
This was a courageous deliberate decision on Hagedorn's part, especially after previous news reports about Barack Obama's campaign targeting Romney donors in the recent past, which "coincidentally' (nod,nod, wink wink) resulted in the IRS going after those donors.
Miracle-Gro website can be found here.
