[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8166]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     ROSA SUGRANES--THE SMALL BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR FOR 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 3, 1999

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to congratulate my 
constituent, Mrs. Rosa Sugranes, who was recognized recently in 
ceremonies at the U.S. Capitol by the Small Business Council of America 
as the Small Business Person of the Year for 1999.
  Rosa has built Iberia Tiles into one of our nation's largest 
independently owned distributors of ceramic tiles, marble and stone. 
Starting out as a 22-year-old college student with just a $100,000 
investment, she opened a tile warehouse in 1980. Her hard work and 
dedication helped create today's major corporation which has annual 
revenues of over $24 million and offices throughout South Florida and 
the Atlanta area. Miami's Bayside Marketplace, Joe's Stone Crabs and 
the World Trade Center in Panama are among the many famous buildings 
which have used Iberia tiles.
  Among the many roles she is being honored for by the council include 
her commitment to the vital cause of multilingual education, as well as 
her many civic and charitable contributions which have greatly 
benefited our community and nation. She heads the Greater Miami Chamber 
of Commerce's multilingual task force and is chairwoman of the 
Multilingual Development Committee of the Miami-Dade Public Schools. 
Rosa also serves on the board of trustees of Florida International 
University and the United Way, and has played a major role in Miami-
Dade County' Efficiency & Competition Committee and Cultural Affairs 
Council.
  This is definitely a fitting tribute for Rosa Sugranes who, over the 
past twenty years, has very ably served as an entrepreneur, civic 
leader, education crusader and mother of two children.

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