[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 81 (Friday, June 1, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E947-E948]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING ROBIN GREGORIUS, ALABAMA SMALL BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 1, 2012

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Ms. Robin Gregorius, who was 
recently selected the 2012 Alabama Small Business Person of Year by the 
U.S. Small Business Administration.
  Ms. Gregorius' personal story is a testament to her determination to 
realize her dream of establishing an assisted living center that 
addresses the needs of her patients for the comforts and of home rather 
than a care facility.
  The daughter of immigrant parents from the former nation of 
Czechoslovakia, Ms. Gregorius grew up on a farm in Robertsdale in 
Baldwin County, Alabama.
  Her career as a registered nurse took her across the country, both 
near and far, including the cities of New Orleans and Los Angeles. Yet, 
she returned to the Mobile area to put her knowledge to work for local 
patients who would benefit from her new approach to assisted living 
care.
  In a recent interview with the Mobile Press-Register, Ms. Gregorius 
noted that over her career she had observed that her older patients 
longed for ``homey'' surroundings in their care facilities with home 
cooking--important touches that were often lacking in assisting living 
quarters. And equally important, the staff in many care facilities 
seldom offered the

[[Page E948]]

``family touch'' that many older patients sought.
  Ms. Gregorius knew there was a better way and she sought to implement 
a new approach of ``assisted living with a heartbeat.'' While the 
journey to fulfilling her dream was a long one, involving two decades 
of saving money--often working double shifts to earn for a down 
payment--she eventually secured a $1 million bank loan. The results 
have been rewarding.
  Today, she owns and operates the Country Gables Assisted Living Home 
in Grand Bay where she and her staff of 14 care for patients in a novel 
way. As she put it, her care facility ``is pretty much run like a big 
bed-and-breakfast hotel, except it's breakfast, lunch and dinner with a 
24-hour continuum of care.''
  Ms. Gregorius is joined by her mother, Lahoma, and her sister, 
Ramona, in running their small assisted living facility like a large 
family home. Their hard work has been rewarded with the satisfaction of 
their patients and the knowledge that County Gables is a special place.
  Fittingly, in March, Robin Gregorius was named as Alabama's Small 
Business Person of the Year. On May 20, 2012, she officially received 
her award at a Small Business Administration conference honoring the 
nation's other Small Business awardees here in Washington, DC.
  On behalf of the people of Alabama and my colleagues in the Alabama 
Delegation, I wish to extend personal congratulations to Ms. Gregorius 
and her family for not only receiving this wonderful honor, but also 
for their substantial contributions to the lives of many local seniors.

                          ____________________