John G. Brunner is the third generation of the Brunner family to lead Vi-Jon, a private-label personal care products manufacturing company founded in 1908 by his grandparents, Viola and John B. Brunner.

At his company, John applied his principles of hard work, personal responsibility, and fiscal discipline to grow a small manufacturing operation into a company with national distribution, serving nearly every major retailer in the United States.

Starting from the ground up, John has worked in virtually every aspect of the company’s operations, from operating forklifts, loading trailers, repairing production lines, mixing millions of gallons of raw materials, and traveling the country selling Vi-Jon’s products, eventually rising to the rank of CEO, where he served until 2009.

Today, the company manufactures over 6,000 different products, including Germ-X hand sanitizer, employing an “associates-first” philosophy that emphasizes team spirit.

John’s passion for team-building is drawn in part from his service as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps. Volunteering for duty upon graduation from college, John completed his service as a Captain. He was a Platoon Commander, Executive Officer, and Adjutant. His military experience included joint operations with many of the NATO allies with deployments to the North Atlantic, Caribbean, and the Mediterranean, as part of the armed forces’ “contingency reaction force”.

The principles of leadership John learned in the Marine Corps were incorporated extensively into his manufacturing company. Over the years, he has expressed his devotion to the military through construction of the Wall of Honor at Vi-Jon, which individually recognizes every associate in the company who has served in the United States Armed Forces.

In addition to his years of manufacturing and leadership experience, John has served extensively in charitable and community activities. His focus has been on helping and mentoring teenagers; with a special emphasis on education, rehabilitation, and leadership development. Additionally, he has served as a member of the board of deacons at his church, and has aided world-wide mission and relief organizations.

John Brunner completed his undergraduate work at Harding University and received his MBA at the John M. Olin School of Business Administration at Washington University in St. Louis. His life-long passion in the study of economics began in the early 1970′s under the instruction of Leonard E. Read at the Foundation of Economic Education in New York.

John’s commitment to conservative causes began in the presidential campaign of 1964, on the ground level, as a young precinct worker. For over 40 years since, he has continued to support conservative candidates and causes. He’s looking forward to the opportunity to continue his service as Missouri’s next U.S. Senator in 2012.

John and his wife, Jan, have been married for 35 years. Together, they have 3 children and 6 grandchildren.