[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 73 (Tuesday, May 3, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E453-E454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SAN MATEO COUNTY SILICON VALLEY 
                     CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 3, 2022

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate the San Mateo 
County Silicon Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau on the 50th 
anniversary of its founding. It was 50 years ago that the Space Shuttle 
program was officially launched. It was fitting that the convention and 
visitors bureau began at that same time because the hope was to boost 
hotel occupancy to stratospheric levels, and to entice conventions to 
the fairgrounds in the City of San Mateo. It worked.
  As the local economy transitioned away from agriculture and towards 
high technology, the fairgrounds became the site of a national 
semiconductor convention--SEMICON--and since that time has hosted 
hundreds of business and nonprofit events. Hotel rooms available in San 
Mateo County have exploded, from 81 hotels and 5,972 rooms in the 
Convention and Visitors Bureau when it was first formed to 140 hotels 
and 15,794 rooms today.
  The economic impact of our visitor-serving industries is enormous. 
Pre-pandemic, the sector generated $4.5 billion in visitor spending and 
well over $500 million in local tax revenue. It employed 45,000 people. 
The bureau doesn't claim credit for all of these jobs or the money 
spent but given the reach of its promotional efforts it certainly has 
an impact. For decades, the bureau represented its membership at 
national shows dedicated to explaining to convention organizers the 
benefits of coming to San Mateo County. Many conventions came and tens 
of thousands of tourists annually are typically greeted in their hotels 
and event locations by further promotional advertisements for local 
attractions.
  The San Mateo County Silicon Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau 
has been an indispensable source of information for me during the 
pandemic. Under the leadership of its outstanding President and CEO, 
John Hutar, the organization arranged for owners and managers to 
explain the steps they were taking to keep their doors open, or to 
avoid going into foreclosure, during the emergency. I was proud to be 
able to vote for the Paycheck Protection Program, EIDL loans and 
restaurant

[[Page E454]]

relief, all of which nourished this sector when the pandemic threatened 
to permanently destroy the industry in San Mateo County. For example, 
the Restaurant Revitalization Fund brought $214 million in relief to 
almost 500 San Mateo County restaurants. I held many meetings with 
bureau members and listened closely as they explained their concerns.
  Madam Speaker, San Mateo County is the site of many amazing companies 
including those that discover new treatments for cancer or diabetes, 
program and design electric vehicles, arrange electronic payments for 
trillions of dollars in transactions annually, and that provide amazing 
medical care to our entire population. Key to our local quality of life 
are our visitor-serving hotel and restaurant providers. Not only do 
they serve visitors, but they provide fine service to residents, and 
jobs for tens of thousands. It is my honor to recognize those who help 
create jobs by shouting to the mountain tops the benefits of doing 
business in San Mateo County. It is a testament to their skill that 
today they are financially surviving and focusing on the next decades 
after the pandemic clears. I honor the men and women of the San Mateo 
County Silicon Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau and their board of 
directors for giving their all on behalf of us all during a time that 
has tried us all. Bravo.

                          ____________________