[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23072]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING ALBERT GONZALEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 18, 2005

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a leader in 
Colorado's Latino community, Albert Gonzales. Mr. Gonzales is the 
president of Gonzales Consulting Services which he founded in 1990. 
After 15 years in business, Gonzales Consulting Services has 250 
employees who provide financial management, support services, 
information technology, and emergency security communications to 
clients in nine States. Having realized extraordinary success in his 
own business endeavors, Albert finds time now to mentor small 
businesses with their growth and development.
  By any measure, Albert Gonzales is a true American success story. He 
is not only a leading entrepreneur in Colorado, he is raising his 
family and contributing to the larger community.
  In fact, he has focused much of his life to giving back to his 
community--particularly to the Latino community. In 1992, Albert 
Gonzales founded the Colorado Democratic Latino Initiative, the first 
initiative of its kind in Colorado. The Latino Initiative has given 
many Hispanic Coloradans a means for more effective participation in 
politics within the Democratic Party. The initiative has provided 
training and information on issues that affect the community and has 
been a model for political involvement across our region, including 
similar efforts by the Republican Party. As a result, there has been a 
tangible increase in the participation in the political process by 
Colorado Latinos. That participation shows itself in more than just 
Latinos exercising their right to vote. Many have been given the tools 
and encouragement necessary to run for public office.
  Although Albert is a committed Democrat, his partisan affiliation is 
not why I rise to acknowledge his leadership. Albert's real 
contribution to Colorado is in his work as a businessman, as a mentor, 
and as a person of conscience and good will.
  As a decision maker and political leader, Albert Gonzales has shown 
how important it is for Latinos to occupy positions of power in policy 
making--particularly as this community continues to grow and influence 
the culture, politics and economy of the West. Although Albert will 
retire from the Colorado Democratic Initiative Board this year, I have 
no doubt that he will continue to work in other ways and with the same 
passion, intelligence and commitment for this community.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Albert 
Gonzales for his commitment toward elevating the Latino community's 
influence in the public arena--a worthy objective that cuts across 
partisan lines and serves to strengthen our democratic process.

                          ____________________