[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 25 (Monday, February 13, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN RECOGNITION OF THE WONDERFUL COMPANY

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. DAVID G. VALADAO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 13, 2017

  Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today and am joined by Mr. McCarthy 
and Mr. Costa of California, to commend The Wonderful Company for 
receiving the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's 2016 Corporate 
Citizenship Award for Best Community Improvement Program.
  The Best Community Improvement Program Award honors businesses for 
the many ways they influence and enhance local communities. Companies 
from around the world compete for this award, making it an 
extraordinary acknowledgment of outstanding corporate social 
responsibility. The Wonderful Company was presented with the esteemed 
2016 U.S. Chamber Foundation Corporate Citizenship Award for Best 
Community Improvement Program.
  Since 1979, The Wonderful Company has quickly grown and become known 
worldwide for its almonds, bottled water, citrus fruits, flower 
bouquets, pistachios, pomegranates, and wines. However, its legacy does 
not stop there. Investing nearly $200 million in education, 
environmental technologies and sustainability research, and health and 
wellness programs, The Wonderful Company has an extensive history of 
philanthropy and community involvement.
  The Seventeenth Annual Chamber of Commerce Corporate Citizenship 
Awards recognized The Wonderful Company for its work in Lost Hills, 
California, home of the company's largest pistachio plant, which serves 
as the economic backbone of the local community. In fact, more than 
fifty percent of households in Lost Hills have family members who work 
at the Wonderful Pistachio plant. Always committed to the wellbeing of 
the local community, The Wonderful Company has made significant 
investments in Lost Hills, investing more than $15 million in 
transportation and infrastructure projects, such as roads and 
sidewalks, bus shelters, storm drains, and streetlights. It has also 
rejuvenated the community park with two community centers, two soccer 
fields, volleyball and basketball courts, playgrounds, and a broad 
range of community activities and events. The Wonderful Company has 
also helped build affordable housing, assisted with financing and 
construction of the town's first sit-down restaurant, and recently 
received approval from the Kern County Board of Education to open a 
charter school in the community next fall.
  This prestigious honor recognizes the hard work and significant 
investment made by Mr. and Mrs. Stewart and Lynda Resnick, owners of 
The Wonderful Company. They have dedicated their lives not only to 
growing a successful and sustainable business, but to improving the 
lives of so many across the globe, especially those in the communities 
The Wonderful Company calls home.
  Mr. Speaker, we ask our colleagues in the United States House of 
Representatives to join us in congratulating The Wonderful Company for 
receiving the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's 2016 Corporate 
Citizenship Award for Best Community Improvement Program. The Wonderful 
Company's altruistic leadership provides an exceptional example of 
corporate responsibility and we look forward to their future 
initiatives that continue to make the world a better place, one 
community at a time.

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