[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 28, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2099]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CONGRATULATING MAACO ON ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY

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                          HON. JAMES M. TALENT

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 28, 1997

  Mr. TALENT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate MAACO on the 
occasion of its 25th anniversary.
  In 1972, Anthony A. Martino, the man who had founded AAMCO 
Transmissions in the mid-1950's, decided to create another franchise 
system for quality production auto painting and body repair. He opened 
a pilot center in Wilmington, DE, and despite critics who proclaimed 
``you could never franchise paint and collision repair,'' today, on the 
25th anniversary of MAACO Auto Painting and Bodyworks, there are 500 
MAACO franchise centers in 48 of the United States, and in Canada, 
Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
  Next week, MAACO will celebrate the culmination of its 25 years in 
business at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, CA, and at the same 
time, observe that in this its 25th year, MAACO has also achieved the 
painting and repair of its 10 millionth vehicle, while opening its 
500th center in North America.
  Tony Martino, founder and still CEO of the chain today, has always 
believed that with a strong operating manual and a strong system, and, 
in the case of MAACO, by offering the public a quality paint and body 
repair service at reasonable prices, you can be successful.
  Since 1972, MAACO has built a $335 million franchise system and has 
made hundreds of men and women successful owners of a small business 
that has become part of the economic engine of America. As MAACO 
observes its 25th anniversary, it has proven that MAACO is more than a 
business to its hundreds of independent MAACO operators.

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