[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 57 (Thursday, April 19, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S2543]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING BRUNO BENNA

 Mr. HELLER. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to a 
Nevadan who spent his life working to strengthen his local community 
and enrich the lives of its residents. After a courageous 9-year battle 
with cancer, Bruno Benna passed on April 1, 2012. Our State has lost a 
selfless and giving Nevadan. My thoughts and prayers continue to be 
with his family.
  From starting a small concrete company that would later become a 
staple in Reno to his patronage for the fine arts, Bruno was involved 
in nearly every facet of Northern Nevada's community. In 1958, he co-
founded C.B. Concrete Company, which literally laid the foundations for 
modern Reno. For the next 50 years, Bruno contributed to the 
construction of Reno's major infrastructure projects. Generations of 
Reno residents have become familiar with C. B. Concrete Company's 
iconic yellow trucks emblazoned with the bumble bee logo.
  C. B. Concrete Company exemplifies the vital role small businesses 
play in both our economy and local community. As the backbone of our 
economy, they must continue to remain vibrant and healthy in order to 
create jobs at a time when Nevadans need them the most. I am saddened 
that Reno has lost such a passionate entrepreneur who was responsible 
for employing hundreds of Nevadans. Northern Nevada was fortunate to 
have such a talented businessman who was continuously striving to 
improve the business community while serving on the Reno Chamber of 
Commerce Board, the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission, and as an 
advisor to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
  In 1997, Bruno and his wife, Edna, started the Benna Family 
Foundation to give back to their community. Through the foundation, the 
couple were avid supporters of the University of Nevada, the Nevada 
Discovery Museum, the Nevada Opera, the Nevada Art Museum, and the Reno 
Little Theater. In 2002, Governor Kenny Guinn awarded the Bennas with 
the Governor's Arts Award for their decades of service for arts in 
Northern Nevada.
  Bruno's extensive philanthropic endeavors and generous contributions 
to our State continue to be inspiring to those within the Reno and 
larger northern Nevada community. I am both grateful for and humbled by 
his commitment to the Silver State. I ask my colleagues to join me 
today in remembering the life of a great Nevadan.

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