[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 93 (Monday, July 17, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1424]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING CHERI FLEMING

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. HOWARD P. ``BUCK'' McKEON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 17, 2006

  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Cheri Fleming, a 
lovely lady from Santa Clarita, CA. On May 22, Newsweek presented her 
with the prestigious 2006 Dealer of the Year Award from the American 
International Automobile Dealers Association, AIADA.
  Founded in 1970, AIADA represents 11,000 American automobile 
dealerships. The members of the association provide nearly 500,000 
American jobs and have a positive economic impact both nationally and 
in their communities. Every May, in recognition of exceptional 
community contributions and staunch commitment to the advancement of 
the industry, the Dealer of the Year program acknowledges 10 finalists 
from across the Nation. Winning the first time she was nominated, Cheri 
was the only woman proposed this year for the prestigious award.
  Partners in business, philanthropy and in life, Cheri and her 
husband, Don, purchased Valencia Acura in 1997. Although soon to 
change, at the time the dealership's national ranking was dead last for 
sales and also in customer satisfaction. Cheri and Don adopted the 
philosophy of ``friendship'' instead of ``dealership'' and began 
treating their customers just as they would like to be treated. Today, 
Valencia Acura is one of the top Acura dealerships in the country and 
also ranks amongst the highest in customer satisfaction with repeat and 
referral customers comprising over 75 percent of the business. In a 
relatively short amount of time, Valencia Acura has won many accolades 
from Acura and Customer Satisfaction Index awards, including: Acura's 
Precision Team--2002-2004, Honda's Council of Excellence--2004-2005, 
``Best New Car Dealership in Santa Clarita''--2003-2005, ``Most 
Community Minded Owners in Santa Clarita''--2003-2005 and Santa Clarita 
Valley Chamber of Commerce ``2001 Business of the Year'' for the 
medium-sized category.
  With the success of Valencia Acura, Cheri and Don rapidly became 
vital forces in the Santa Clarita Valley and have donated nearly $3 
million to community organizations in the past 7 years. Their community 
involvement transcends financial support as they can often be found 
participating in community organizations and generously giving their 
time, energy and efforts for a variety of causes. For their hard work 
and dedication, Don and Cheri were selected as Santa Clarita's Man and 
Woman of the Year for 2004. Never before in the history of the program 
has a husband and wife received the award in the same year.
  Although at the helm of a thriving business, Cheri finds time for her 
extensive volunteer endeavors. Currently, she is the vice president at-
large and a director for the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Health 
Foundation, governor-elect for the Soroptimist International Camino 
Real Region, member and past-president of the Soroptimist International 
of Santa Clarita Valley, vice president of Special Events and a 
director for the Child and Family Center Foundation, a director for the 
Roar Foundation Advisory Board, chair-elect and a director for the 
American Cancer Society Unit Council and the Los Angeles Regional Unit 
Council, vice president of the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Imaging Center 
Advisory Board, chair of the Arthritis Foundation Walk and with Don as 
her cochair, has headed the Boys & Girls Club Auction for the past 3 
years. In addition, Cheri just fulfilled her $100,000 pledge to help 
with a cardiac-catheter lab and new emergency room for our local 
hospital. Recently, Cheri chaired the Santa Clarita Valley Arthritis 
Walk raising over $60,000 and Don's efforts for the Fleming-Crawford 
Golf Invitational raised over $113,000 for the Sheila R. Veloz Breast 
Imaging Center.

  The AIADA acknowledged Cheri Fleming's exceptional community 
contributions and business acumen with the 2006 Dealer of the Year 
Award and I would like to commend Cheri for her success as well. Sir 
Winston Churchill once said, ``We make a living by what we get. We make 
a life by what we give.'' Supported by Don, there is no one who 
embodies that statement better than Cheri Fleming. Together, their 
efforts have made the Santa Clarita Valley a much better place to live 
and I salute them for their efforts.

                          ____________________