[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 18 (Friday, February 9, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SALUTE TO BANKS CONTRACTING CO., INC.

                                 ______


                           HON. KWEISI MFUME

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, February 9, 1996

  Mr. MFUME. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Banks 
Contracting Co., Inc., an African-American owned general contracting 
firm that specializes in commercial and industrial renovations.
  As many residents or visitors to the Baltimore-Washington area can 
attest, Banks Contracting Co. has worked on some of the most important 
sites in the area constructed over the last 15 years. Sites to which 
Banks Construction has contributed include some of Baltimore's most 
famous and visited locales, including the National Aquarium, Camden 
Yards, and the Baltimore Arena. Banks is currently working on the 
Baltimore Children's Museum, which is slated to open in 1998. In 
addition to these well-known landmarks, past clients include the Johns 
Hopkins Hospital, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, NationsBank, 
the University of Maryland, Westinghouse, and Toyota, to name but a 
few.
  In addition to these business successes, Banks also has a strong 
reputation within the community. The company has addressed the needs of 
the community throughout the years by serving as a mentor to young men 
and women in the construction field. Several of these young people, 
with financial and business assistance from Banks Construction Co., 
have moved on and established their own successful businesses.
  In addition, Banks Construction is also a member of the Maryland/
District of Columbia Minority Supplier Development Council and has, in 
the past, contributed its resources to the Contractor's College in 
Baltimore. In 1995, Banks was the key corporate sponsor for the 
Associated Black Charity's 10th Annual Fundraising Celebration and in 
1994 it received the Administrator's Award for Excellence from the U.S. 
Small Business Administration. Banks has also been recognized in past 
years by Westinghouse and the Maryland/District of Columbia Minority 
Supplier Development Council.
  And so, Mr. Speaker, I applaud Banks Construction Co. for its 
excellence not only as a contractor on some of Baltimore's most 
important projects, but also a member of our community, one that is 
willing to give some of its gifts back to its community.

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