[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 23, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5178-S5179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING TRISTATE CURLS

 Ms. ERNST. Madam President, as ranking member of the Senate 
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize 
an outstanding Iowa small business that exemplifies the American 
entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize 
Tristate Curls of Sibley, IA, as the Senate Small Business of the Week.
  Megan Gerken founded Tristate Curls in 2018 as a specialty salon to 
serve clients with curly and wavy hair. During her professional salon 
training, Megan worked in various hair salons in her home State of 
Minnesota, where she is a licensed cosmetologist. She graduated from 
the Stewart Cosmetology School in Sioux Falls and has gone to Los 
Angeles, New York City, and Dallas for short-term trainings to develop 
techniques to work on curly hair. After working in Minneapolis for 5 
years, Megan and her husband moved to Sibley, IA, where she opened her 
own hair salon.
  Tristate Curls started in a rented space in Sibley before Megan 
purchased

[[Page S5179]]

a shop on 9th Street in 2020. Currently, she is the salon's lone 
stylist, but that doesn't stop her from bringing her passion and 
dedication to work every day. She ensures every client that walks into 
Tristate Curls doesn't leave until they are happy with their new hair 
style. She also makes an effort to explain the products she uses so her 
customers can recreate the same style at home. Megan is committed to 
sharing her wealth of knowledge with the next generation of hair 
stylists and doesn't shy away from giving tips and advice.
  In addition to running Tristate Curls, Megan works on the family farm 
with her husband and helps raise their cattle. Tristate Curls is an 
active member of the Sibley Chamber of Commerce and, in 2024, 
celebrated its sixth business anniversary.
  Tristate Curls' commitment to providing quality, specialized care for 
curly and wavy hair in Sibley, IA, is commendable. I want to 
congratulate Megan Gerken, the Gerken family, and Tristate Curls for 
their continued dedication to providing beauty care to the Osceola 
County community. I look forward to seeing their continued growth and 
success in Iowa.

                          ____________________