[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 135 (Saturday, November 20, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     100TH ANNIVERSARY OF BELLEVILLE SHOE AND BELLEVILLE SHOE SOUTH

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                           HON. MARION BERRY

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Saturday, November 20, 2004

  Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a company that 
has spent 100 years making a name for itself and has been with our U.S. 
Armed Forces every step of the way. I am proud to recognize Belleville 
Shoe and Belleville Shoe South, Inc. in this Congress for their 
commitment to their community and all they do for our nation's 
soldiers.
  While Belleville Shoe in Southwestern Illinois marks its 100th 
anniversary this year, Belleville Shoe South, based in DeWitt, 
Arkansas, has been a part of the Belleville Shoe Manufacturing Company 
since spring of 2002. It was then that Belleville reopened the DeWitt 
shoe plant that had closed four months earlier; today that plant 
employs 650 people, pumping $12 million in wages into the local economy 
annually.
  Perhaps most important is the product the plant produces: boots for 
the U.S. Army. The plant's employees turn out an astonishing 3,600 
boots each day for the Department of Defense and do so with a great 
deal of pride, knowing they are making shoes for America's military men 
and women.
  Not surprisingly, much of the credit for Belleville's success belongs 
to the Weidmann family that has overseen the company since its creation 
in 1904. What started with William Weidmann in 1904 and has been passed 
down to the fourth generation in Eric Weidmann today has become a 
company that reflects the family that created it. Compassionate, 
unwavering and innovative.
  Belleville Shoe has also improved the quality of life for many in 
DeWitt and the surrounding areas. The wages and benefits it offers 
exceed the area average; in fact, many employees have never had any 
benefits before working for Belleville. When a qualified labor pool in 
DeWitt began to dry up, Belleville hired two transportation companies 
to operate a van service to bring in about 100 employees from outlying 
areas to work at the plant.
  On behalf of the Congress, I am honored to recognize Belleville Shoe 
and their contributions to the community they live in as well as the 
military community they serve so proudly. They are a shining example of 
what can transpire when a company treats its employees with respect, 
helps its community grow and creates a product that moves this country 
forward--one step at a time.

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