[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 151 (Tuesday, September 23, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H8625-H8626]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF MACY'S, INC.

  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 1473) recognizing the 150th anniversary year of 
the founding of Macy's, Inc., as an American entrepreneurial success 
story and the role Macy's, Inc., plays in supporting America's small 
businesses and vendors, including those that are minority and women 
owned; celebrating the vision, innovativeness, and ingenuity of all of 
our Nation's small businesses.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1473

       Whereas, on October 28, 1858, 36-year-old entrepreneur 
     Rowland Hussey Macy opened a small dry goods store know as 
     R.H. Macy & Co. at the corner of 14th Street and 6th Avenue 
     in New York City;
       Whereas the early struggles of R.H. Macy & Co. are 
     representative of all American small businesses and indicate 
     the intense drive and spirit of our Nation's entrepreneurs;
       Whereas Rowland Hussey Macy adopted a red star as his 
     symbol of success, dating back to his days as a sailor, and 
     had first-day sales totaling $11.06;
       Whereas, after the first full year in operation, R.H. Macy 
     & Co. had gross sales of almost $90,000, and, by 1877, nearly 
     20 years after it was founded, R.H. Macy & Co. had become a 
     full-fledged department store occupying the ground space of 
     11 adjacent buildings;
       Whereas, as small businesses must evolve to remain 
     competitive in the marketplace, Macy's is known for several 
     firsts that changed the retail industry, including being the 
     first retailer to promote a woman, Margaret Getchell, to an 
     executive position, pioneering such revolutionary business 
     practices as the one-price system, in which the same item was 
     sold to every customer at one price, and quoting specific 
     prices for goods in newspaper advertising;
       Whereas the competitive pressures facing small retailers 
     such as Macy's compelled it to pursue creative merchandising 
     initiatives, including being the first to introduce such 
     products as the tea bag, the Idaho baked potato, and colored 
     bath towels;
       Whereas, by November 1902, the small store had outgrown its 
     modest storefront and moved uptown to its present Herald 
     Square location on Broadway and 34th Street, establishing an 
     attraction for shoppers from around the world;
       Whereas, as Macy's, Inc., has grown, it has not forgotten 
     its heritage as a small business and promoted small firms, 
     pursued supplier diversity initiatives, and assisted in the 
     growth of talented entrepreneurs by striving to purchase and 
     support vendors who are certified as minority or women owned;
       Whereas Macy's, Inc., purchases goods and services from 
     these small business enterprises and encourages prospective 
     suppliers to partner with it and take advantage of its 
     Supplier Diversity Program and provides participating vendors 
     with direction and guidance to help them plan and ready for 
     the strategic demands of a larger-scale retail relationship; 
     and
       Whereas Macy's, Inc., held its first-ever national supplier 
     diversity fair in New York City in August 2007 targeting the 
     minority- and women-owned vendor community in the cosmetics 
     and skincare categories with the goal of enhancing Macy's 
     existing assortment for its diverse multicultural customer 
     population: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes--
       (A) the 150th anniversary year of the founding of Macy's, 
     Inc., as an American entrepreneurial success story; and
       (B) the role Macy's, Inc., plays in supporting America's 
     small businesses and vendors, including those that are 
     minority and women owned;
       (2) celebrates the vision, innovativeness, and ingenuity of 
     all of our Nation's small businesses that aspire to grow and 
     prosper as Macy's, Inc., has over its 150-year history; and
       (3) congratulates Macy's, Inc., as an American 
     entrepreneurial success story.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
New York (Ms. Velazquez) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in support of this resolution in celebration of Macy's 150th 
anniversary. Both the City of New York and the small business community 
have benefited immensely from the success and generosity of this 
American icon.
  As anyone within the small business community will tell you, the best 
entrepreneurs are more than just businessmen. While it is obviously 
important to have a head for numbers and risks, there is another, more 
critical, element involved. In order for an entrepreneur to make 
history, in order to be truly great, he or she must also be an 
innovator. Roland H. Macy was just that kind of man.
  Today, we are saluting the business that Macy founded 150 years ago, 
a company that began small but, through hard work and enormous 
innovation, has come to stand as a symbol of the American Dream.
  When Macy opened a small dry goods store in 1858, he probably never 
expected it to become a multi-billion dollar business. After all, he 
first reported sales added up to a grand total of $11.06. Still, it 
didn't take long for Macy's venture to become a success.

                              {time}  1500

  A century and a half after it first opened its door, that little dry 
goods shop has grown to become a national department store chain.
  Macy's remarkable growth stands for more than just hard work and good 
business sense. R.H. Macy, like any successful entrepreneur, was a 
tireless innovator. As chairwoman of the Small Business Committee, I 
see that same sense of innovation in the entrepreneurs I work with. It 
is the spirit that drives people to start businesses in the first 
place.
  Macy's small business success was largely rooted in its ability to 
innovate. Indeed, the department store pioneered many of their retail 
practices we now take for granted. For example, it was the first to 
adopt the one-price system through which every item is assigned a 
single fixed cost.
  Macy's has also consistently outshone its competitors by offering new 
and novel products. Take, for instance, color bath towels, or the Idaho 
baked potato, or the tea bag. None of these commodities were available 
to the mainstream until Macy's brought them to market.

[[Page H8626]]

  As with any industry, great success brings great change. Macy's has 
obviously outgrown its ``small business'' label and has become a major 
player in the retail world. Its flagship store in my home City of New 
York has become a shopping destination for Manhattanites and tourists 
alike. It attracts visitors from across the country and around the 
world. And yet despite being a multi-billion dollar corporation, Macy's 
has never forgotten its entrepreneurial roots.
  The retailer still strives to support the small business community by 
purchasing many of its products from small firms. Through its Supplier 
Diversity Program, the company makes a point of buying from and 
nurturing women and minority entrepreneurs. In 2007, it held its first 
diversity supplier fair to target these groups specifically.
  Macy's embodies the great American story of a small business that 
made it big. Roland H. Macy and his legendary venture represent the 
dream of every entrepreneur. After 150 years, the retailer stands as a 
shining example of two fundamental American values--hard work and 
innovation. Those are the values that have driven the department 
store's achievements throughout the years. And those are the values 
that we are celebrating this afternoon.
  The Macy's story is a great American story. It is based on the 
premise that any small business owner can become a big business 
success. After all, Macy's began as a modest dry goods store on the 
corner of 14th Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan. Today, it is a 
multibillion dollar corporation.
  But while Macy's may be a Fortune 500 company, it has not forgotten 
its small business roots. Its Supplier Diversity Program, for example, 
nurtures women and minority entrepreneurs. Macy's clearly recognize the 
importance of giving back.
  In celebrating Macy's, we are applauding its great achievements, and 
its dedication to invention. The company pioneered many practices and 
products that have since become American staples. For instance, the 
store first brought colored bath towels into the mainstream. But 
perhaps more importantly, we are also applauding Macy's commitment to 
small business development. It is a commitment to entrepreneurship. It 
is a commitment to innovation. It is a commitment to the American 
dream.
  I would urge the adoption of this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  As ranking member of the House Small Business Committee, I rise to 
support this resolution recognizing the 150th anniversary year of the 
founding of Macy's, Inc. I'm pleased to be joined by my good friend and 
distinguished chairwoman of the Small Business Committee, Nydia 
Velazquez of New York, in offering this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, American small business owners are the entrepreneurs who 
create the majority of American jobs, export American products, and 
generate America's economic growth. Small firms exhibit the best of 
American values: hard work, innovation, enthusiasm, and determination.
  The story of Macy's is one of true entrepreneurship. Roland Hussey 
Macy started the small dry goods store in New York City in 1858 that 
would develop into one of the largest department store retailers in the 
world. It was Mr. Macy's perseverance, ingenuity, and determination 
that helped to spur that growth.
  Many Cincinnatians remember the John Shillito Company--or Shillitos, 
as we called it--Cincinnati's first department store, which was founded 
in 1830. In 1929, Shillito's, F.&R. Lazarus in Columbus, Ohio, 
Brooklyn, New York-based Abraham & Straus and several other family-
owned department stores formed a holding company called Federated 
Department Stores. In 1945, Federated moved its offices to Cincinnati, 
where Macy's primary headquarters operates today, and in 1994, 
Federated acquired Macy's.
  Today Macy's operates over 810 stores in every major metropolitan 
area around the entire United States.
  Small businesses are known for their ability to respond to the needs 
of the market. Macy's, which began as a small business, has always been 
innovative: it was the first American store with escalators, elaborate 
window displays, and an in-store Santa. Macy's also began what is now 
the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Macy's tenets that customers are 
paramount and that success comes from taking advantage of opportunity 
are principles that small firms still apply today.
  I want to commend Macy's for its commitment to purchasing from small 
businesses, including women- and minority-owned enterprises, 
establishing supplier diversity initiatives, and encouraging its 
vendors to purchase from small firms. Macy's also has a strong history 
of corporate and foundation giving and encouraging employee community 
service.
  Congratulations to Macy's on 150 years of growth, success, and 
philanthropy.
  Finally, I want to again thank Chairwoman Velazquez for working in a 
bipartisan way on this issue as she has done consistently throughout 
the last 2 years that she served as the chairwoman of the Small 
Business Committee. I appreciate her leadership. I think she's done an 
extraordinarily good job. It's been an honor to work with her over the 
last 2 years.
  At this point, I would like to reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I would like to inquire if the gentleman 
has any other further speakers.
  Mr. CHABOT. We have no further speakers.
  I yield back.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield back.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1473.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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