[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23485]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE NELSON FAMILY OF COMPANIES OF SONOMA, CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 29, 2008

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today along with my 
colleague, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, to recognize and honor the 
Nelson Family of Companies, which has been selected as the Business of 
the Year by the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce.
  The Nelson Family of Companies is an independently owned group of 
businesses that provide a wide variety of full-time and contract 
staffing services as well as software and support services designed to 
facilitate workforce management.
  The first of the ``Nelson Companies'' opened in 1970 in San Rafael. 
In 1989 a corporate office was established in Sonoma. The companies 
currently employ more than 300 people in 25 offices throughout northern 
California.
  In addition to being a major employer itself in Sonoma and providing 
support services to other local businesses, the Nelson family has been 
an active participant in community organizations and events. Primary 
beneficiaries have been the Hanna Boys Center and Sonoma Valley 
Hospital. The companies have also been sponsors or supporters of the 
Sonoma Jazz Festival, the Charles Schwab Cup Champion's Tour event at 
Sonoma Golf Club, the Sonoma Wine Harvest Auction and Festival, the 
American Red Cross, the American Heart Association annual walk, the 
Blood Bank of the Redwoods annual blood drive, the Valley of the Moon 
Boys & Girls Club and the Valley of the Moon Teen Center and the Sonoma 
Valley Mentoring Alliance.
  Madam Speaker, local businesses in the small communities throughout 
our two Congressional districts are much more than employers. They are 
the backbone of a support system for projects, nonprofit organizations 
and civic events that would not be successful without their 
involvement. No organization better exemplifies this commitment than 
the Nelson Family of Companies. It is therefore, appropriate for us to 
honor Chairman Gary D. Nelson and his leadership team and employees, 
both past and present, for their great work throughout the years.

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