[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 147 (Tuesday, November 29, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: November 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   CEDAR WORKS: AN OHIO SUCCESS STORY

                                 ______


                            HON. ROB PORTMAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 29, 1994

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to pay tribute to Cedar 
Works, a Peebles, OH; corporation which manufactures cedar products and 
was recently recognized by Nation's Business magazine as a successful 
small business that sells unique products to large retailers.
  Under the able leadership of President Jim Obenshain, Cedar Works has 
created jobs and stimulated economic growth in Adams County, OH; at a 
time when the county has the second highest rate of unemployment in our 
State. It is a company with a focus on the customer. Jim Obenshain has 
been known to go so far as to personally deliver orders in his minivan 
to meet Christmas deadlines.
  Jim founded Cedar Works in 1976, after envisioning a market for 
finely crafted birdhouses and mailboxes made of cedar. Today, the 
company employs 269 people and is one of the largest employers in Adams 
County. Since Cedar Works began selling its bird feeders and mailboxes 
and mailbox posts to Wal-Mart in 1990, sales, production and employment 
have skyrocketed. Annual sales have risen from $2 to $15 million.
  I am proud to congratulate the team at Cedar Works for their 
contribution to Peebles, OH, to Adams County and to the entire State. 
They have provided a model for other businesses that might be looking 
to locate in an area like Adams County. We salute their vision and wish 
them even greater success in the future.

                          ____________________