[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 131 (Wednesday, September 7, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1544-E1545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNITION OF REX FERRY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TIM RYAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 7, 2011

  Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you this evening in 
recognition of a truly great American, Rex Ferry, who has served as 
President of Valley Electrical Consolidated, Inc. and Evets Electrical, 
both headquartered in Girard, Ohio. I wish to recognize him for his 
extraordinary service, for the past 3 years, serving as President of 
the National Electrical Contractors Association, NECA.
  There are many things that impress and amaze me about Rex Ferry. 
First among them is that he grew up in the trade and worked hard to 
build up the necessary resources and assets to eventually own his own 
company and become an electrical contractor. He began his career as an 
apprentice with the IBEW Local 573 in Warren, Ohio. He worked in many 
areas of electrical construction and purchased Valley Electrical in 
1990 and later added Evets Electric to his management portfolio in 
2006.
  Also high on the list of Rex's strong attributes are his family and 
his faith. He has been married to Mary, his high school sweetheart, for 
over 30 years. Additionally, his company is family-owned and operated 
as his daughter and sons-in-law all work for his company.
  There is an old saying that leaders rise up in times of crisis and if 
that saying holds true, there is no one I know who has demonstrated a 
capacity to lead through difficult times quite like Rex Ferry. NECA and 
its member companies were not and are not immune to the challenging 
economic times with construction nearly grinding to a halt. I know this 
has weighed on him tremendously during his tenure. But as I've grown to 
enjoy Rex's company over the past years, I've known him to be one of 
the most optimistic business leaders around.
  I know he has appeared at many local and national NECA meetings where 
he has been called upon to deliver one of his infamous `pep' talks 
where groups became accustomed to his legendary ``Magic Wand.'' He 
welcomes the opportunity to report on the significant challenges not 
only facing his company, but also, the electrical contracting industry. 
He has challenged business leaders from around the country to adapt to 
a changing economic environment. He has implemented a variety of 
changes at NECA including, but not limited to, creation of focus groups 
to bring out the youth movement, what he refers to as future leaders, 
and to encourage women, through installation of a women's peer group, 
to learn about opportunities in the electrical industry.
  Mr. Speaker, I recognize that his tenure will expire at the end of 
this year where the leadership reins will turn over to another capable 
Ohioan, Dennis Quebe, of Dayton. I'm honored to recognize Rex this 
evening for his incredible leadership, his passion, his vision, and for 
his continued friendship.

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