[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 155 (Wednesday, September 27, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S6185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

 Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, today I would like to recognize an 
outstanding small business located in my home State of Idaho. 
Dedication, hard work, and the entrepreneurial spirit are some of the 
guiding principles that define us as Americans. It is these traits that 
have enabled so many of our fellow citizens to achieve the American 
dream. As our workforce moves further into the 21st century, new 
opportunities are created every day by the American people themselves 
to ensure that they can achieve a better standard of life, without 
reliance on others. My State of Idaho knows this and is proud to serve 
as an incubator for many small businesses that seek to expand these 
values through their unique entrepreneurial spirit. As Chairman of the 
Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, it is my 
pleasure to recognize LiveRez as the Senate Small Business of the Month 
for September 2017. LiveRez is one of a good number of software 
companies in Idaho, which provides services to American businesses 
nationwide and serves as a true example of hard work in pursuit of the 
American dream.
  LiveRez is based out of Eagle, ID, and was founded by Tracy Lotz in 
2008, after years of research and development within the vacation 
rental sector. Tracy started his journey with vacation rentals in 1994, 
when he launched First Choice Vacation Properties, one of the few early 
websites where managers were able to advertise their vacation rentals 
in cyberspace. It wouldn't be until 2002 that Tracy and his nephew 
Jeremy would start building websites for their clientele of 
professional vacation rental managers, and within a year, they were 
pioneering online bookings in real time. It would not be until 2005 
that the Lotz's would shift from providing the service at an 
incremental level to designing software that would be 100 percent 
cloud-based. In January 2008, LiveRez was launched as the first all-in-
the-cloud management system. From there, they have continued expanding 
and innovating with the establishment of the First Advisory Board, 
mobile websites, and other technical applications that enabled their 
software to be one of the most sought after management systems for 
managers not only in the United States but also around the world.
  Perhaps what makes all of this success even more incredible is that 
Tracy was able to do all of this organically, utilizing the revenue 
from the company's early days to continue to grow. He did not seek out 
venture capital for the company, nor did he take on debt. Today Tracy 
and the team at LiveRez host their annual partner conference, which 
includes classes, tech reveals, networking, and more amenities for 
members of the industry.
  I would like to congratulate Tracy Lotz and the employees of LiveRez 
on their innovation and hard work and the commitment that they have to 
their partners and clients. I wish the best for LiveRez, and I am 
confident that they will continue to provide innovative services and 
ideas to their growing customer base.

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