Image: Former U.S. Representative Mark Green. Image Credit: Martin B. Cherry / Nashville Banner & Canva
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by Sarah Grace Taylor, [The Nashville Banner, Creative Commons] –
Former Congressman Mark Green suddenly retired this summer, less than a year into his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, to pursue an unknown business venture.
Business filings in Florida show that Green has started a company, Prosimos, alongside attorney and lobbyist, Marc Hebert.
Last week, Green campaigned for his chosen successor, Matt Van Epps, at several local events ahead of the Oct. 7 special primary election.
After one event, Green spoke to the Banner briefly about his new company, which he described as a continuation of public service, designed to thwart Chinese business ventures.
“Look, we’re in a battle for alliances globally and if we want to win those alliances, we should have foreign governments become addicted to American businesses,” Green said. “And the battle is very clear. It’s between us and China.”
“The motto is basically, ‘If an American company doesn’t do it, a Chinese company will,’” Green added.
For example, Green said he has helped a Tennessee-based cement company in Guyana, and that they are currently trying to line up a stateside poultry company to provide two million eggs to the growing country each year.
“Why not help American companies go overseas — I’ll make a little bit of money doing it, OK it’s a for-profit entity — but I’m not taking the U.S. flag out of my rucksack, right?” Green asked. “You don’t serve the country for 36 years in some capacity and [not] still want to do some good.”
Green has reportedly been fixated on Guyana in recent months, pitching lobbyists and others in D.C. on business ventures and even visiting the country as he announced his retirement, according to the publication NOTUS.
Democrat members of the House Homeland Security Committee heckled Green, chair of the committee, on social media for missing votes while in Guyana.
“Mark Green AWOL again,” an account belonging to the Democrat members of the committee posted on X in June. “Still in Guyana???”
Business records show that Prosimos was established as an LLC under Hebert’s name in Florida this April, and filed again with a Florida address listing both Hebert and Green in June, after Green announced his retirement.
Asked about Hebert, Green described him as “a guy that helped me form the entities.”
Green said he’s known Hebert for two or three years, and acknowledged that the pair met in D.C. and “became good friends.”
Lobbyists are required to disclose certain activity, but provide limited details, giving an unclear picture of how closely the pair may have worked together while Green was in Congress. Hebert has regularly lobbied around issues like energy, which went before the Homeland Security Committee while it was chaired by Green.
Hebert did not return messages left for him at his law office this week.
Asked if the two ever did business together, Green said “not really,” adding that Hebert and his New Orleans-based law firm Jones Walker LLP “do a lot of shipping law and port law,” citing that as a reason Hebert is “an important partner.”
Asked about the emphasis on Guyana, Green said he sees opportunity in the small South American country, where the economy has been growing rapidly since the discovery of large offshore oil reserves in 2015.
“Imagine they’re building, they’re buying, and if they’re going to move earth to build a hotel, why wouldn’t that be Caterpillar instead of a Japanese or — not that I don’t want our allies to get business — but certainly not a Chinese company,” he said.
While he was in Congress, Green cosponsored a bill allocating $74.8 million annually from 2022-2026 to promote security and development in 12 Caribbean countries, including Guyana.
2 Responses
Mark was “my” Congressman, he was just kinda there, then quit, leaving us unrepresented. His endorsement means nothing to me. I’ll be voting Jody.
Mark Green was my congressman and I appreciated all that he did from his service to our country in the military and in congress. I was a bit upset when he decided to resign before his term was up, but after thinking about it, I have always believe, all politicians should put term limits on themselves. Remember Fred Thompson and Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader? Both could have decided to be career politicians and they’d have still been there if they were of the ‘normal’ political type. So, I respect Mark for NOT being a career politician and finding a business he can enjoy, serve and make a REAL living. But, Dwayne is correct….his ‘endorsement’ of Matt Van Epps, means nothing to me. There is no doubt that Mat Van Epps would make a strong, trustworthy congressmen, but I resent a former politician endorsing a candidate in a primary and it think it is ‘bad medicine’. We’ll see.