[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 77 (Monday, June 15, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S6326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I would like to express my support and 
admiration of small business owners and entrepreneurs as we reflect on 
another successful National Small Business Week. It is appropriate that 
we recognize the contributions and achievements entrepreneurs have made 
to strengthen our communities and our national economy.
  Small businesses account for 99.7% all the employers in the country 
and employ 53.7 percent of the private work force. Senate Democrats 
have demonstrated their support of small business by advocating 
increased funding for the reauthorization of the Small Business 
Administration, supporting targeted tax relief, ensuring responsible 
regulatory relief, and increasing procurement opportunities for small 
businesses.
  Small businesses are changing the face of the economy by creating 
jobs and bringing prosperity to small towns and cities across the 
country. One such small business is the Roundup Building Center, owned 
by Doug and Julie Kapsch in Belle Fourche, South Dakota. As part of 
National Small Business week, Doug and Julie have been awarded special 
recognition from the Small Business Administration as the South Dakota 
Small Business Owners of the Year.
  Doug and Julie became business owners under a rather unique set of 
circumstances. In 1990, a fire destroyed much of the Belle Fourche 
Building Center, which Doug managed at the time. Faced with adversity, 
Doug and Julie saw an opportunity. After the fire, Doug contacted the 
former owner of the Belle Fourche Building Center, and the Kapschs 
began building their business. Today, Doug and Julie's business, the 
Roundup Building Center, serves the tri-state area of South Dakota, 
Wyoming and Montana by providing local contractors and do-it-yourself 
builders with a variety of building supplies. The business has grown by 
approximately 10 percent a year under Doug and Julie's management.
  As successful small business owners, Doug and Julie have shown that 
hard work, initiative, and a bit of risk-taking can produce big 
dividends. I congratulate them on their success and wish them many more 
profitable years of business.
  I would also like to commend another woman who has made significant 
contributions to South Dakota's small business community. Sandra 
Christenson, President of Heartland Paper Council, has been appointed 
by the Small Business Administrator to serve on the National Women's 
Business Council. The Council advises the President and the 
Administrator on small business issues especially important to women.
  After serving as President of Triangle School Service in Sioux Falls, 
Sandra was named President of Heartland Paper Company in 1989. In this 
capacity, she oversees 170 employees and the company's seven thousand 
customers. Heartland Paper has been a vibrant member of the Sioux Falls 
business community under Sandra's leadership, and I am confident that 
with her leadership and experience, Sandra is uniquely qualified to 
represent the views of women business leaders and rural America before 
the Council.
  Small businesses are vitally important to South Dakota's economy, and 
I truly appreciate the contributions that Sandra, Doug and Julie have 
made to our state's small business community. They join countless other 
small business owners across the country who have helped make America's 
vibrant economy the envy of the world.

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