[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 148 (Friday, August 20, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING SPECIAL EVENT SERVICES

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TED BUDD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 20, 2021

  Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the American 
spirit of determination, resilience, and steady faith as embodied by 
Special Event Services (SES), a full service technical production 
company headquartered in Mocksville, North Carolina.
  Keeping time with the music industry, it came as no surprise to 
founding partners Jim Brammer and Jeff Cranfill that earning a living 
from their craft would require infectious passion and a commitment to 
the next show, regardless of the size of the crowd. From their opening 
act as a 1986 garage start-up, the duo steadily grew SES into a major 
industry player, eventually providing their live-event production 
services in audio, lighting, video, and rigging to the likes of 18 
Grammy winners and many more.
  SES' clientele ranges from iconic legends of decades past, like 
Hootie and the Blowfish and Lynyrd Skynyrd, to contemporary chart-
toppers such as Luke Combs, Ed Sheeran, and The Avett Brothers. Also 
aligned with the heart of the company's business is their desire to 
amplify Christian voices, and SES has provided services to Franklin 
Graham, Joyce Meyer, and Joel Osteen, among others.
  Such success, however, hasn't been achieved without its own share of 
challenges. When concerts, shows, and national tours came screeching to 
a halt at the onset of 2020's COVID-19 pandemic, SES too was forced to 
take a hiatus from their regular way of doing business. Due to lockdown 
and stay-at-home orders, the company pivoted instead to producing 
intimate online sessions streamed for fans to view from their homes.
  In October of 2020--despite a grim outlook for the live event and 
performance industry as they knew it--SES celebrated the grand opening 
of their recently completed new base of operations, planting them in 
the historic town of Mocksville, the heart of Davie County. Fast-
forward to the summer of 2021, and business is rapidly picking up 
tempo, proving our economy is primed to rebound to its former heights. 
One higher profile example of recent note, the Carolina Country Music 
Festival, featured a star-studded lineup and over 30,000 fans in 
attendance for the multi-day festival. Being tapped to lead the 
production was SES, a decision that's indicative of the industry's 
confidence in the company and its work.
  Though 2020 was a year of uncertainty, the company set their sights 
ahead and continued working towards the reemergence of their core 
business: live-event production services. With tours, festivals, 
performances, and gatherings back in full swing, it's abundantly clear 
that a central belief of SES that ``Together we are greater than the 
sum of our parts'' is ringing loud and true.
  Please join me in applauding Special Event Services for their 
perseverance through adversity as they faithfully live out their work's 
mission, one show at a time.

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