[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 43 (Monday, March 11, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1759-S1760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     RECOGNIZING MIAMI TOUR COMPANY

 Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, as chairman of the Committee on 
Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize a small 
business that exemplifies the unique American entrepreneurial spirit. 
Today, it is my distinct pleasure to name Miami Tour Company as the 
Senate Small Business of the Week.
  Founded in 2002, Miami Tour Company has quickly become a premier 
provider of tours and activities in south Florida. Husband and wife, 
Gus and Michelle Moore, founded the company based on the principle of 
providing the best customer experience possible. Gus and Michelle met 
while working at a restaurant and bonded over a shared passion for 
making sure that visitors to their home State have a great experience. 
After serving thousands of hungry patrons and learning how to make 
visitors to Miami as happy as possible, Gus and Michelle decided to 
start a business. With their combined knowledge of the area and a knack 
for anticipating their customer's needs, a tour company was the perfect 
fit. With their savings from working at the restaurant, the couple

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bought a tour bus, and the Miami Tour Company was born.
  Seventeen years later, Miami Tour Company has grown to transport 
35,000 passengers annually and have served more than 600,000 clientele. 
Their fleet now includes motorcoaches, mini-buses, vans, SUVs, shuttle 
buses, and boat tours. The company's local guides run day tours through 
Key West, Orlando, the Everglades, and Miami Beach. They have also 
instituted a GPS-guided system in their tour buses that triggers high-
quality digital voice recordings at locations of interest, making them 
the only tour company in Florida to offer this technology. To expand 
their customer base, the company has begun offering the recordings in 
Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, French, Italian, German, and Russian, 
allowing visitors from around the world to enjoy the attractions that 
Florida has to offer.
  On top of providing enjoyable and informative tours, Miami Tour 
Company gives back to their community. They guide local elementary 
students on free historical bus tours throughout Miami and offer 
students free eco-tourism trips to the Everglades. They also give back 
to their community by providing complimentary travel charters for 
activities for the children and families of Sophia's Hope. In addition, 
they donate portions of their proceeds to the Miami Beach Holocaust 
Memorial and the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens. Miami Tour Company has 
been a true small business success story. Their dedication to 
hospitality has been recognized with an A-plus rating from the Better 
Business Bureau and a Certificate of Excellence from online reviewers.
  Gus and Michelle's commitment to an exceptional customer experience 
represents the standard of hospitality with which Florida small 
businesses are known for. Companies like Miami Tour Company are one of 
the many reasons that visitors enjoy south Florida and keep coming 
back. I would like to congratulate Gus, Michelle, and all of the 
employees at Miami Tour Company for being named the Senate Small 
Business of the Week. I wish them good luck and look forward to 
watching their continued growth and success.

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