His district consists of Wexford, Mecosta, and western Osceola Counties. He also served as a second lieutenant in the Michigan National Guard. In 1996, Potvin was cited by Michigan"s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for the illegal dumping of several hundred gallons of toxic materials into an old elevator pit by Cadillac’s branch of Western Concrete Products Company.
The clean-up effort ranged from 1998 until its termination in 2002 and cost the company $162,500 in fines.
Potvin was the chief executive officer of Western Concrete Products Company, and board chairman and executive committee member of the National Concrete Masonry Association. An Eagle Scout, he is very involved in the Boy Scouts of America, serving on the executive board member of the Scenic Trails Boy Scout Council and as assistant scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 125 in Cadillac. Potvin is also a member of Ducks Unlimited, the National Rifle Association, the Michigan Farm Bureau, and Right to Life of Michigan.
