[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 79 (Monday, June 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S5398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RICHARD AND JANET CONES--SOUTH DAKOTA SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS OF THE YEAR

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I was privileged to meet earlier this 
week with Richard and Janet Cone, owners of Cone Ag-Service, Inc., in 
Pierre, South Dakota. They were recently designated the South Dakota 
Small Business Owners of the Year by the Small Business Administration.
  This award is a testament to the Cones' drive and business acumen 
over the last 30 years, during which they have provided high quality, 
liquid fertilizer to South Dakota farmers. Like many small businesses, 
they began at the kitchen table and have grown into a business that 
employs eight full-time and six part-time employees.
  The Cones' success story also includes timely and appropriate 
assistance from a Federal agency, the Small Business Administration. 
This agency joined with a local lender to help finance the Cone Ag-
Service at a crucial point in its growth, proving that even the best 
business idea may need financial backing to come to fruition.
  But, the most important measure of Cone Ag-Service's success is its 
customers, who loyally return year after year. The Cones can rely upon 
the word-of-mouth communication by their customers to generate new 
business. This type of advertising can't be bought with money; rather, 
it takes a good product and responsive customer service.
  Nearly 200 years ago, the expedition of Lewis and Clark set in motion 
a great westward expansion of settlers across America. As many of these 
pioneers made their way up the Missouri River, one can only imagine 
what entered their minds as they climbed atop the river bluffs and 
gazed out over the limitless plains of Dakota Territory. Surely, there 
was very little to remind them of the comforts they had left behind or 
of the riches they dreamed lay ahead. But there were opportunities to 
be found, hidden amidst the prairie grass, and a few adventurous souls 
dared to settle here and make South Dakota their home.
  That frontier spirit still runs through the veins of South Dakotans 
today, but the horizons that await us are no longer hidden. Small 
businesses like Cone Ag-Service are being created to take advantage of 
the commercial opportunities our State holds. They are the pioneers of 
today and I salute them.

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