Tough Tom.

• Author: Mildenberg, David
• Position: NC TREND: Western Region

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Western North Carolina loses lots of clout with Tom Apodaca's departure from the North Carolina Senate, but he's not going far. The Hendersonville Republican expects to open a "business development and government relations" firm--others call it lobbying. He resigned in July and under state rules must wait until January before plying his new trade, which he expects will model former House Speaker Harold Brubaker, a top-ranked lobbyist.

He's spurned job offers from Raleigh law firms, noting, "I don't always play well with others." A lot of political opponents say amen to that, frustrated by Apodaca's heavy hand in House Bill 2, redistricting and other contentious scraps. The payoff is that Republicans have transformed North Carolina's economy by reducing tax rates, restoring public-school funding and "keeping regulations in check," says Apodaca, a Texas native who entered the Senate in 2003 and has owned various businesses, including a bail bonds office and a travel agency. "Growth is now outpacing our projections, and I think we are in a great position," Apodaca says.

Rated the second-most effective senator in an April study by the N.C. Center for Public Policy (Senate President Pro Tern Phil Berger was deemed No. 1), Apodaca isn't bashful about his influence. "I was the rules chairman, which has way more influence than the lieutenant governor. I killed so many bad bills, you wouldn't believe it."

One bill he didn't kill was HB2, which blocks nondiscrimination policies from protecting lesbians, gays and transgender...