[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 171 (Tuesday, November 6, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2334-E2335]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING CAROL GORDY ON THE COMPLETION OF A SUCCESSFUL YEAR AS 2007 
                              BCA CHAIRMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 6, 2007

  Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, it is with great pride and pleasure that I 
rise today to honor Mrs. Carol Gordy as she completes a highly 
successful term as the 2007 chairman of the Business Council of Alabama 
(BCA).
  Carol has been a distinguished member of the Brewton, Alabama, 
business community for almost three decades. In 1990, she purchased 
Natural Decorations Inc., known as NDI, from its original founders. 
Since that time, Carol and her husband, Joe, have grown the company 
from 10 to 100 employees and increased sales from less than $1 million 
to more than $16 million a year.
  NDI is located in a small town in Alabama; nevertheless, it is a 
world-class leading manufacturer of high-end floral and botanical 
reproductions. Counted among its customers are Neiman-Marcus, Horchow, 
and interior designers worldwide, with ads appearing regularly in 
magazines such as Architectural Digest, Veranda, and Traditional Home. 
NDI also has exclusive licensing agreements with the Colonial 
Williamsburg Foundation and the Versailles Foundation for Monet's 
Giverney Gardens.
  Under Carol Gordy's leadership as both chairman and chief executive 
officer, NDI has been nominated for 10 ARTS Awards, the premier awards 
program for the home decorative accessories industry, and received six. 
In 2001, NDI was inducted into the ARTS Hall of Fame. Additionally, NDI 
has been recognized for outstanding achievements in workplace safety.
  It is this commitment to excellence in her own business that has made 
Carol such a valuable asset to BCA. In 2005, BCA leaders recognized her 
dedication to the association and asked her to join other volunteer 
leaders to serve as the group's first vice-chairman, a position that 
put Carol in line to be the first woman in BCA's history to serve as 
chairman.
  A native of Dublin, Texas, Carol was raised in New Mexico. She 
started her first of three retail flower shops in Albuquerque and was 
the first person from New Mexico ever to be inducted into the American 
Institute of Floral Design in Washington, DC in 1980.
  Carol's commitment to her community is second to none. She currently 
serves on the boards of A+ Education Foundation, BankTrust, Alabama 
Technology Network, Rotary International, the Quality of Life Chair for 
Alabama Communities of Excellence, and the Accessory Division of 
International Home Furnishings Center, High Point, NC.
  Carol is a member of the Governor's Commission on Quality Teaching 
and has served on the Governor's Commission on Efficiency, 
Consolidation and Funding. She was a member of Leadership Alabama Class 
XXIII and served as a judge for the Tournament of Roses Parade in 
Pasadena, California. She is also a member of Voices for Alabama's 
Children.
  Madam Speaker, there are few individuals more dedicated or more 
committed to helping their communities than Carol Gordy, and I

[[Page E2335]]

would like to offer my congratulations for her service as the first 
woman chairman of BCA and for her many personal and professional 
achievements.
  I know her husband, Joe, her family and many friends join me in 
praising her accomplishments and extending thanks for her many efforts 
on behalf of Brewton and the state of Alabama.

                          ____________________