Royal Oak Businessman Stars in Stabenow Ad

If you think that handsome guy you just saw in a political ad looks like your neighbor - it just might be.

The familiar face of Royal Oak businessman Michael “Chet” Chetcuti, president and CEO of Livonia-based American Expedition Vehicles (AEV), is featured prominently in U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow’s first commercial of the general election season.

The "Companies Like Mine" ad, which began airing on Monday, highlights the Democratic senator’s work in writing a bill to crack down on illegal China trade.

“China was a really large market for us,” said Chetcuti. “We watched it go down to zero, as they stole our intellectual property."

AEV manufactures high quality Jeep Wrangler accessories for adventure vehicle enthusiasts.

"They even copied our instruction manual so that if someone has a problem in China, they call our office here for support,” Chetcuti said. “I called (Stabenow) and I said, ‘We need to talk.’ We’ve created over 500 good jobs. If we don’t solve this counterfeit parts problem, we can kiss those jobs goodbye.”

In addition to starring in Stabenow's ad, Chetcuti has also been stumping with senator this week.

“I’ve been on the road with Senator Stabenow for the past 48 hours,” said Chetcuti on Tuesday.