[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 54 (Thursday, April 28, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E824-E825]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING DR. JOYCE GIFFORD, RHODE ISLAND SMALL BUSINESS PERSON OF THE 
                                  YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 28, 2005

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate Dr. Joyce 
Gifford, a veterinarian from Cumberland, RI, who was recently named 
2005 Rhode Island Small Business Person of the Year by the Small 
Business Administration (SBA). Dr. Gifford is the owner of Abbot Valley 
Veterinary Center, a successful practice that employs a number of Rhode 
Islanders and provides extraordinary care for family pets.
  Dr. Gifford possessed remarkable professional qualifications, having 
graduating at the top of her class from the Tufts University School of 
Veterinary Medicine and worked in some of the nation's most renowned 
veterinary hospitals. Dr. Gifford had always dreamed of starting her 
own veterinary practice, but her aspirations were put on hold when she 
had trouble securing the initial financing. Seeking advice, Dr. Gifford 
turned to the SBA and SCORE for assistance. These agencies helped Dr. 
Gifford improve her business plan and provided the loan assistance

[[Page E825]]

she needed to open her own veterinary center in 1995.
  The Abbot Valley Veterinary Center quickly garnered widespread 
popularity. Dr. Gifford earned a reputation as a compassionate, 
dedicated, and experienced professional. Today her business has grown 
to serve more than 2,000 patients.
  As her business began to take off, Dr. Gifford was diagnosed with 
cancer. Drawing on the courage and resolve that had come to define her 
professional career, and with the help of family, friends, and clients, 
Dr. Gifford successfully overcame the disease and today is cancer-free.
  Over the years, Dr. Gifford has made many significant technological 
additions to her business to better serve her patients, and her 
clientele and staff continue to grow. In addition to being an 
accomplished entrepreneur, Dr. Gifford is also a philanthropist, and 
she supports a variety of local animal shelters and community 
organizations, such as the Cumberland Boys and Girls Club.
  Dr. Gifford embodies the professional and personal character 
necessary to operate a successful business, and she now joins the list 
of distinguished Rhode Islanders who have been named Small Business 
Person of the Year.
  I congratulate Dr. Gifford for her successful practice and dedication 
to her community. Small businesses are key to economic growth in my 
home state, and I wish Dr. Gifford and the 32,000 other small business 
owners in Rhode Island great success in the future.

                          ____________________