[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 10 (Tuesday, February 8, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E79]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING RICHARD DeSILVA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARGE ROUKEMA

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 8, 2000

  Mr. ROUKEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Richard A. DeSilva, a 
businessman and community leader in northern New Jersey who has made 
many contributions to our local schools, economy and quality of life. 
Mr. DeSilva is a hard-working entrepreneur who has found success and, 
in the tradition of many successful businessmen before him, has chosen 
to ``give back'' to the community. He is one of our outstanding 
citizens and a role model for our young people..
  Mr. DeSilva, the owner of Liberty Subaru Inc., in Oradell, New 
Jersey, last month received the Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award, 
presented each year jointly by Time Magazine and the Goodyear Tire and 
Rubber Co. Last year, he received the All-Star Dealer Award from the 
American International Automobile Dealers Association. Both of these 
awards are presented not just in recognition of excellence in 
automobile sales and service but also for excellence in community 
service.
  Mr. DeSilva started in the retail automobile business as a teenager 
working at the Ford dealership where his father was the service 
manager. He graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree 
in marketing in 1974 and sold new cars for a short period before 
opening a used-car dealership in Paterson. His ``big break'' came in 
1976, when he and his brother acquired a franchise from Subaru. The 
brothers started off selling an average 14 cars a month, but the 
dealership now sells nearly 1,100 a year.
  As might be expected, Mr. DeSilva has been active within the 
automobile industry. He is a member of the AIADA board of directors, 
has been on the Subaru National Dealer Advisory Board since 1989 and 
has served as chairman three times. He is also active with the New 
Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers.
  It has been Mr. DeSilva's level of involvement in his community, 
however, that has brought him recognition. Mr. DeSilva and his wife, 
Wendy, a grammar school and physical education teacher, have been 
involved in the Mahwah public school system for many years. Mr. DeSilva 
coached wrestling and was active in the Mahwah Sports Booster program 
while their sons were in school. In 1991 and 1992, he chaired the 
demographics committee for the Mahwah Schools facilities Ad Hoc 
Committee, a group charged with studying future student enrollment and 
making recommendations to the school board. In 1995, he was selected to 
finish the term of a former school board member. He was elected to his 
first full, three-year term on the board in 1996 and reelected last 
year.
  Mr. Speaker, Rick DeSilva is an outstanding member of our community. 
He is a successful businessman who helps drive the local economy. He is 
an active and respected member of the local school board, helping guide 
the education and future of our youth. And he has been an involved 
parent, coaching young people on the athletic field and instilling the 
spirit of teamwork that is so crucial to success in the adult world. He 
has been recognized by his peers in his own industry. I ask my 
colleagues in the House of Representatives to join in that recognition 
by congratulating him on the work he has done and wishing him the best 
in the future.

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