[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 148 (Thursday, September 29, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1410]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO KURTZ HARDWARE COMPANY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAVID YOUNG

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 28, 2016

  Mr. YOUNG of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and 
congratulate Kurtz Hardware Company for their 150th year of business in 
the Des Moines metropolitan area.
  L.H. Kurtz, a German immigrant, founded Kurtz Hardware Company in 
1866, starting what is now one of the oldest companies in the 
community. At first selling hardware and tin items, the store evolved 
through the years, adding plumbing and heating products, and later 
sporting goods and houseware sections. A roof collapse in 1998, along 
with the competition of newer and larger hardware stores opening in the 
area, led current fifth generation owner Bob Kurtz to refocus the 
business to concentrate on commercial contracting. The Des Moines 
Register, in an article featuring the business, asked why Kurtz 
Hardware Company has lasted so long and endured such difficult times as 
the Great Depression, World War II, the farm crisis of the 1980s, and 
the rise of the big box stores. Bob Kurtz answered with a laugh, ``It's 
just the old stubborn German in us, I guess.''
  As a testament to the longevity of Kurtz Hardware Company, the Des 
Moines Register noted that the company supplied materials for the 
Equitable Building, Des Moines' first skyscraper of the time, built 
back in 1924. Today, they are providing doors and hardware for that 
same Equitable Building as it is currently being renovated into 
residential living.
  Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to represent Kurtz Hardware Company in 
the United States Congress and I'm proud to recognize them for their 
150 years of service to the Des Moines area. I ask that my colleagues 
in the United States House of Representatives join me in congratulating 
Kurtz Hardware Company of Des Moines and in wishing them nothing but 
continued success.

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