[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 151 (Thursday, September 19, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING STATESVILLE BRICK COMPANY FOR 115 YEARS OF BUSINESS

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                             HON. TED BUDD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 19, 2019

  Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Statesville Brick 
Company for 115 years of business.
  Due to the Southeast's unique rivers that produce red clay deposits, 
North Carolina has long been at the center of the brick making economy. 
This includes company's like Statesville Brick Company which opened its 
doors in 1904. As times changed though and the post-World War II 
building boom began to slow, brick makers began closing shop, and 
small, local operations transitioned into large, interstate 
corporations. Statesville Brick Company, however, bucked that trend, 
and remains at heart the same family-run operation it was over a 
century ago.
  For Statesville Brick Company President and General Manager Michael 
Foster and Executive Vice President Scott Rankin, the brick business is 
a generational affair. Scott's grandfather E.R. ``Roy'' Rankin joined 
the company in 1916 and oversaw the construction of an early iteration 
of the firm's plant while Michael's father, H.B ``Bob'' Foster joined 
as a partner in 1969. Today, Statesville Brick Company currently 
employees over 90 people and their work can be found at some of our 
nation's most prestigious academic institutions such as Princeton 
University, Ohio State University, and Davidson College.
  Statesville Brick Company's 115 years of business are a source of 
pride for our region, demonstrating how an operation dedicated to high 
craftmanship with deep local roots can succeed and thrive in a changing 
landscape.
  Madam Speaker, please join me today in celebrating Statesville Brick 
Company for 115 years of business.

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