[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 113 (Thursday, August 1, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1187-E1188]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             MCT INDUSTRIES

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 1, 2013

  Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today 
with the gentleman from New Mexico, Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, to honor 
a great New Mexican business, MCT Industries, for its forty-year 
contribution to the manufacturing infrastructure of the American 
economy. On this day, we also honor Ted Martinez, the founder of MCT 
Industries, and the entire Martinez family for their substantial 
contributions and service to New Mexico and to the United States of 
America.
  To truly comprehend the success of MCT Industries, it is important to 
first understand the remarkable people behind the company. Born on 
September 18, 1947, Ted Martinez and his five brothers and sisters grew 
up in a home with no indoor plumbing. Just like his ancestors who 
homesteaded the Trujillo land on which he grew up, Ted began working on 
a ranch at 5 a.m. each morning.
  Ted learned of the importance of hard work from his parents, Manuel 
and Isabel. He watched his parents each work several jobs to support 
the family. Together, Manuel and Isabel ran a general store, while 
Isabel also served as the postmaster of the only post office in the 
area. When Manuel was not working in the general store or on the ranch, 
he also drove a school bus.
  From a young age, Ted had big dreams. Knowing he wanted to do more 
than run the ranch, he decided to leave home and get trained in welding 
at the Job Corps in San Antonio, Texas. Although he completed the 12-
month program in just six months, Ted could not find a job because of 
his youth. While looking for work, he lived in his car behind a gas 
station and ate only one meal a day. Finally, he came upon Eidson Metal 
in Albuquerque and applied for a job. After a great deal of persuasion 
and negotiation, the foreman hired Ted. Just two months later, Ted 
became the foreman of the water tank crew at Eidson Metal.
  In 1969, Ted married Anedina, a woman from nearby Garita, New Mexico, 
whom Ted had known since he was 12. Dina's father, Benerito, served as 
the foreman of the New Mexico State Highway Department, and kept a 
ranch of his own, while his wife, Mary, worked as a nurse's aide in Las 
Vegas, New Mexico. Although Ted and Dina did not have much, their 
future looked bright. Dina soon became pregnant with their first child.
  Even though Ted was working 60 hours a week at Eidson Metal and Dina 
had a job at the Department of Agriculture, times were tough. Wanting a 
better life for his family, Ted quit his job when Dina was eight months 
pregnant with their daughter, Claudine, to start his own business. With 
$200 and a welding machine, Ted and Dina set out on their own.
  As their workload steadily grew, they decided to formally incorporate 
a business. On June 8, 1973, Ted and Dina founded Martinez Custom 
Trailers. Having saved up $42,000 they were able to purchase five acres 
of land. It would be another two years before they saved up enough 
money to construct a building. Living at the shop in their mobile home, 
Ted and Dina were able to monitor business around the clock. It was 
during this time that they welcomed to their home their precious son 
Bennie. A year after Bennie was born, Dina quit her job at the 
Department of Agriculture to work full time at the family business.
  By 1980, Martinez Custom Trailers ran full-scale production lines of 
various commercial trailers, and employed 25 people. Ted soon decided 
to expand from building commercial trailers to building trailers for 
the federal government. Driven by his profound respect for the 
military, Ted bid for and won his first federal contract for the Army 
M353 general-purpose trailer.
  Using his Army contracting experience, he bid jobs with Sandia and 
Los Alamos National Laboratories and successfully landed contracts in 
the nuclear transportation industry. Martinez Custom Trailers proudly 
contributed to the nuclear disarmament effort in the USSR by 
collaborating with Sandia on an inspection trailer for USSR nuclear 
warheads.
  In recognition of Martinez Custom Trailers' success, in 1984, 
President Ronald Reagan recognized Ted as New Mexico's Small Business 
Person of the Year.
  Business was so successful that, in 1987, Martinez Custom Trailers 
evolved into a more expansive enterprise, MCT Industries, Inc. Ever 
eager to expand his federal client base, Ted won a major contract to 
produce a self-propelled diesel powered U.S. Air Force Maintenance 
Stand that was slated to be deployed worldwide to service the largest 
aircraft in the Air Force. With this contract, MCT was able to create 
even more New Mexican jobs, reaching a height of 240 dedicated 
employees.
  In 1992, 28 years after he had taken a risk by leaving the ranch to 
enter the Job Corps training program, Ted was inducted into the Job 
Corps Hall of Fame to celebrate his exceptional career.
  After the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001, and the ensuing 
overseas military involvements, MCT was quickly able to develop and 
build trailers to support these campaigns. To enable soldiers to 
rapidly extinguish a fire during convoy operations, the Army needed to 
field-test two different types of foam fire suppression systems to 
verify they could perform in combat. In less than four months, MCT 
designed, built, tested and deployed trailers to Iraq that accommodated 
both fire suppression systems. Program leaders informed MCT that in 
less than a week, these systems saved $1 million in Mine-Resistant 
Ambush Protected, MRAP, vehicles and more importantly, protected the 
lives of soldiers.
  Ted and the Martinez family have always displayed a fierce commitment 
to the wellbeing of their employees. In 2003, MCT hosted President 
George W. Bush. Just before President Bush addressed 4,000 people and 
honored MCT as an exemplary small business, the family joined him in a 
roundtable discussion on the vital impact small businesses have on the 
U.S. economy. When President Bush asked Ted about the secret of his 
success, without missing a beat, Ted said ``my employees.''
  The new millennium continued to bring blessings to the Martinez 
family with the birth of the third MCT generation when Diego Dylan 
Martinez was born on April 21, 2007. His brother Dyson Cruz Martinez 
quickly followed 22 months later on February 13, 2009.

[[Page E1188]]

  Today, Bennie and Claudine carry on their parents' legacy, with 
Bennie leading the commercial division of MCT Industries and Claudine 
leading the government division.
  MCT's commercial division provides the same support as the government 
division to its diverse client base which ranges from a local neighbor 
coming in for truck and trailer customization, to deploying truck 
fleets of state, local, and tribal governments. In an effort to reduce 
its carbon footprint, in 2012, MCT installed over 500 solar panels on 
both the Commercial and Government plants.
  MCT's successes have resulted in national recognition of its 
contribution to America's manufacturing base. In March 2013, Claudine 
accepted her appointment by the Secretary of Commerce to serve as one 
of 25 members of the Department of Commerce Manufacturing Council. The 
Council advises the Secretary of Commerce on ensuring regular 
communication between the federal government and the manufacturing 
sector, providing a forum for discussing and proposing solutions to 
industry-related problems, and ensuring that the United States remains 
the world's preeminent destination for investment in manufacturing.
  To ensure he can continue to provide for MCT's team for years to 
come, Ted founded We The People, LLC, a real estate development company 
co-owned by the Martinez Family and MCT team members who choose to 
join. Four years ago, the Martinez family announced that they would 
provide $250,000 in capital to the employee shareholders of We The 
People, and continue making yearly contributions to the company.
  In honor of the 40-year anniversary of MCT Industries, we 
congratulate the Martinez family and the MCT employees for their 
numerous and longstanding contributions to the state of New Mexico and 
the United States of America.

                          ____________________