[tps_title]Billy Canary, President and CEO, Business Council of Alabama[/tps_title]

Canary is one of only two individuals on the Power & Influence 50 who has worked in the White House. He served as special assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs in the George H.W. Bush administration and later went on to be chief of staff at the Republican National Committee. That level of national political experience is unrivaled in Alabama politics, and Canary has used it to guide the Business Council of Alabama to new heights since taking over the reins in 2003.

The BCA is now the official Alabama partner of both the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. That makes them the voice of Alabama’s business community.

Canary’s friendship with House Speaker Mike Hubbard goes back decades. The Canary-led BCA jumped on board early on with Hubbard’s plan to “Storm the State House,” while other associations hedged their bets. During the 2014 cycle, BCA continued doling out millions in campaign contributions, and Canary was the one directing the checks.