[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 30 (Monday, February 24, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S985-S986]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BLACK HISTORY MONTH


                           Willie F. Johnson

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, as I have every year since I came to the 
Senate now 8 years ago, I rise today to commemorate Black History Month 
by paying tribute to a distinguished American. This year we are 
privileged to recognize Willie F. Johnson, a man who has enriched both 
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and our Nation through civic 
engagement and successful entrepreneurial endeavors.
  Willie Johnson's contributions both as a citizen and as the founder 
and chairman of PRWT Services, Inc.--one of the oldest and most 
significant minority-owned businesses in the United States--are a 
credit to both him and to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Today I am 
proud to share some of Willie's achievements and the examples he and 
PRWT have set of responsible corporate citizenship. PRWT does it all. 
It employs over 1,500 people, makes money for its shareholders, and 
still manages to give back to its community and its other stakeholders 
to an extent that few other for-profit companies ever achieve.
  Throughout his career, Willie Johnson has remained committed to his 
roots in social services and has never lost sight of the importance of 
the social and community impact of his work. Willie Johnson's 
professional life stands as a testament to his values.
  After graduating from Allen University in South Carolina with a 
degree in sociology, he earned a master's of social work from the 
University of Pennsylvania while serving as a house parent for the 
Philadelphia Development Center, a residential facility for young 
offenders. Willie pursued a long career in social services after 
graduating, working for 18 years as the regional commissioner of the 
Office of Social Services in the southeastern region of Pennsylvania, 
director of Youth Services Coordinating Office for the city of 
Pennsylvania, and finally as executive director of the Office of 
Employment and Training under the Office of the Mayor of Philadelphia. 
So he has served both our Commonwealth and the city of Philadelphia in 
that work.
  After years of serving the people of Philadelphia as a social 
administrator, Willie's commitment to job creation led him to consider 
whether he might be better able to benefit his community as an 
entrepreneur. So in 1983 he worked with partners to found Fidelity 
Systems, a cable/line construction company that hired and trained local 
residents to lay cable and work in equipment warehouses. Through this 
work, Willie became acquainted with the president of the Lockheed 
Martin company, who was interested in using technology to help State 
and local governments manage their businesses.
  In August of 1988 Willie joined with Paul Dandridge, Raymond A. 
Saulino, and William Turner to establish PRWT Services, Inc., which we 
now know by the acronym PRWT. PRWT received its first contract in its 
first year, providing parking services for the city of Philadelphia. 
The company would go on to secure a significant contract from Lockheed 
Martin, providing customer service and back-office staff to support 
Lockheed's technology, drawing on the workforce management expertise of 
Willie Johnson and his partners to better manage these resources.
  Over the years, PRWT expanded to provide business process outsourcing 
services for a variety of industries as well as serve many State and 
municipal governments nationwide. During Willie Johnson's two-decade 
tenure as CEO, PRWT grew to employ more than 1,500 workers in eight 
States and the District of Columbia.
  In 2001 PRWT acquired U.S. Facilities, Inc. That acquisition marked 
one of the first purchases of a publicly traded company by a minority-
run business.
  In 2008 a PRWT subsidiary became the first minority-owned 
manufacturer of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States of 
America.
  In 2008, after experiencing a 120-percent increase in revenues, PRWT 
made the decision to become a publicly traded and owned company. 
Mindful of their significant role as a successful minority-owned 
business, Willie and his partners made their first public offering 
while maintaining majority shares to ensure that the company remained 
minority owned and run. Willie remains chairman of PRWT's board of 
directors, which has maintained its leadership and minority-owned 
status throughout the process of diversifying.
  As PRWT has expanded, Willie and his partners have maintained a focus 
on the community impact of their work. PRWT is generous with charitable 
contributions and investments and encourages its employees to volunteer 
and remain engaged in their communities. Willie has been just as 
engaged and committed to service outside of his work with PRWT. He 
serves on the boards of a number of national and Pennsylvania-based 
organizations,

[[Page S986]]

including the Philadelphia Tribune, which, as we all know, has been a 
leader of the Black press throughout its history, as well as a variety 
of educational institutions, including his alma mater Allen University, 
the Cheyney University Foundation, Girard College, and Community 
College of Philadelphia. Willie has contributed his significant 
business expertise to the boards of the African American Chamber of 
Commerce and the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, where he serves as a 
member of the executive committee. He has also continued his commitment 
to employment and job creation through his prior service as chair of 
the Transitional Work Corporation and membership on the Philadelphia 
Workforce Development Corporation Board.
  It should surprise no one that Willie Johnson and PRWT have been 
consistently recognized for their significant accomplishments and 
contributions. In the year 2001 PRWT received the U.S. Conference of 
Mayors Excellence in Public/Private Partnership Award. Black Enterprise 
Magazine has ranked PRWT in the top 100 for the past 9 years and in 
2009 named them the Industrial/Service Company of the Year. In that 
same year, 2009, Ernst & Young honored Willie as Entrepreneur of the 
Year in the Greater Philadelphia region.
  Willie has noted that ``there is something very unique about Black 
enterprise: most Black enterprises develop and grow within their own 
community and within their own region because they are depending on 
their relationships.'' It is this dedication to community engagement 
which is a critical part of Willie Johnson's story and the story of 
PRWT, and it is that community engagement and commitment that we honor 
today.
  Willie Johnson has been a dedicated public servant, a trailblazer for 
Black business enterprise, and a deeply engaged citizen. Willie's path 
has touched the lives of many in our Commonwealth and our country. In 
building a world-class entrepreneurial, diversified company, while also 
remaining a responsible corporate citizen dedicated to community 
betterment, Willie and his partners have built PRWT into an example of 
the best corporations have to offer. So today, as we come to the end of 
the month that commemorates Black history, we express our gratitude for 
the important work Willie Johnson has done throughout his life in 
service to the people of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania, and our great Nation.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.
  Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak in morning 
business for up to 12 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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