[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 43 (Thursday, April 6, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF JOHN WHEELER, CALIFORNIAN SMALL BUSINESS PERSON OF 
                                THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 6, 2006

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize and congratulate Mr. 
John Wheeler of Carmel, California. Next week, Mr. Wheeler will be 
honored as the Small Business Person of the Year for California.
  Mr. Wheeler has succeeded through ingenuity and hard work to turn 
Peninsula Pure Water, Inc., into a very successful business in 8 short 
years. With the help of a Small Business Administration-backed loan, 
Mr. Wheeler bought a bottled water company in 1998 with just 50 
customer accounts and 70 daily local deliveries and grew the operation 
into a business with 24,000 customers, and a net income of $275,000. 
Beyond his resourcefulness and sheer determination, Mr. Wheeler has 
shown himself to be a model employer, personally training all new hires 
and offering to pay half of their tuition costs if they attend college.
  Small businesses continue to be the engine of both the Californian 
and U.S. economies. The success of entrepreneurial businessman like Mr. 
Wheeler reminds everyone that the American dream is still alive and 
well. I again congratulate Mr. Wheeler on his well-deserved award as 
the Californian Small Business Person of the year and wish him much 
success as he continues to expand Peninsula Pure Water, Inc.

                          ____________________