[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 66 (Thursday, May 10, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3079-S3080]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
2011 U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION HONOREES
Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, every year the U.S. Small Business
Administration, SBA, honors our country's local entrepreneurs,
hardworking Americans who have built businesses from ideas and created
jobs for their communities. I would like to congratulate the eight
outstanding entrepreneurs from Connecticut who were recognized in 2011,
most especially, A. Gregory Bachmann of Torrington, Connecticut's DYMAX
Corporation, who
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was named 2011 Connecticut Small Business Person of the Year.
The SBA has advocated for small businesses in Connecticut since 1953,
providing assistance through the Federal Small Business Innovation
Research, SBIR, Program, facilitated at Connecticut Innovations. This
support has included more than $500 million of financing, education and
training, and procurement aid for individuals with big ideas and
businesses wanting to expand by taking technological risks.
The winner of the Small Business Person of the Year award must meet
eight sets of criteria, including staying power, growth in number of
employees, increase in sales and/or unit volume, current and past
financial performance, innovativeness of product or service offered,
response to adversity, contributions to community-oriented projects,
and the products exported and markets served.
In 1979, Mr. Bachmann inherited the business his parents had started
in their basement. Now, DYMAX makes its home in a 100,000 square foot
building and operates facilities globally, including in Germany, China,
Hong Kong, and Korea. It offers innovative technology, such as
adhesives, coatings, epoxies, masking resins, and light-curing systems,
to manufacturers who rely on innovative solutions for reliable, cost-
effective, and quick automated assembly. Most recently, DYMAX has
successfully experimented with UV and LED technology as a cutting-edge
way for companies to grow. In addition to the tremendous progress Mr.
Bachmann has made since his parents' vision, I commend him for ensuring
that his company remains environmentally conscious while making
remarkable strides in research and development. DYMAX also gives back
to Connecticut's less fortunate, and has received an award from United
Way of Northwest Connecticut for ``conducting the most unique employee
incentive program'' for contributions to their annual food drive.
In addition to the title of Small Business Person of the Year, the
SBA recognizes seven other businesses or individuals in Connecticut
every year as Minority Small Business Champion, Veterans Advocate
Champion, Explorer of the Year, the Jeffrey Butland Family Owned
Business of the Year, Region One Subcontractor of the Year, Women in
Business Champion, and Financial Services Champion.
Clayton Williams and Dennis Brown are two of the 2011 awardees who
are driven by their passion for the potential of small businesses and
the ways they can transform lives. I have seen firsthand the tremendous
roots local businesses have set in New Haven and the central part they
play in the city's community, so it is no surprise that Mr. Williams,
the city of New Haven's small business development officer, received
the 2011 Minority Small Business Champion award. He has worked
tirelessly on behalf of minority entrepreneurs as part of the Office of
Economic Development to help fund and sustain the best, most promising
ideas in the New Haven area. Veterans Advocate Champion Dennis Brown
was awarded for his service as vice president of Business Counseling
for Connecticut Community Investment Corporation, a nonprofit that
works with small business owners to secure loans and develop strategy.
A veteran and recipient of an SBA veteran's loan in 1982, Mr. Brown
demonstrates that dreams can be realized with persistence. I applaud
the SBA for recognizing the importance of providing for our Nation's
heroes who wish to run their own businesses once returning home.
In addition, every year the SBA names an Explorer of the Year in
Connecticut, acknowledging that risk confronts business owners every
day. 2011 winner, On Site Gas Systems of Newington and its president,
Frank X. Hursey, are committed to the most cutting-edge solutions and
designs for reliable sources of gas used by a comprehensive set of
industries, including emergency response, food preservation,
automobile, and by our military.
Often, it is family owned businesses, hoping to continue the legacy
of previous generations that become reliable sources of products or
services central to their communities. The SBA named Jim Nilsson, owner
and managing partner of Geissler's Supermarkets of South Windsor, as
the 2011 Jeffrey Butland Family Owned Business of the Year. In 1923,
Geissler's was a small storefront, and now it offers online shopping
and delivery. Often family businesses in Connecticut also win other
categories, and in 2011, the SBA honored Region 1 Subcontractor of the
Year Thomas Dolan, Jr., for his work as president of Hi-Rel Products in
Essex. Hi-Rel Products was started in the early 1970s by Mr. Dolan's
father, who worked out of his Old Saybrook home to experiment with
reliable precision components for microelectronics. Now, this
technology has applications across a wide range of industries.
Currently, Hi-Rel employs approximately 100 people in the United
States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Lastly, I would like to recognize Margaret Sheahan, 2011 Women in
Business Champion, and Patrick Lorent, 2011 Financial Services
Champion, for their work in Connecticut in the legal and financial
lending industries, respectively. Ms. Sheahan is founding partner of
Mitchell & Sheahan of Redding and provides important legal counsel in
employment and union disputes. Mr. Lorent was honored by the SBA for
his role as vice president and manager of People's United Bank
Government Lending Department where he connects United Bank with
national, statewide, and local lending programs. This important work
provides vital lifelines to the small businesses of Connecticut that
can continue to focus on research and development without worrying
about their protection and sustenance.
The SBA continues to raise awareness and support for Connecticut's
local entrepreneurs with their annual awards. The SBA and its 2011
honorees are inspirational, showing our Nation's budding business
owners and leaders how to grow an idea to global proportions--driven by
the most advanced research and technology and steadfast confidence in
the American legacy of starting from the beginning to achieve
greatness.
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