[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6639]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          SMALL BUSINESS WEEK

 Mr. REED. Mr. President, this week we celebrate the 45th 
annual Small Business Week organized by the U.S. Small Business 
Administration. I would like to recognize the accomplishments of a 
small business owner who is a leader in his field and a contributor to 
Rhode Island's vital hospitality and tourism industry.
  Today, the SBA will present the 2008 National Jeffrey H. Butland 
Family-Owned Business of the Year award to Robert Antignano of Angelo's 
Civita Farnese in Providence. This national award, which will go to a 
Rhode Islander for the first time, honors a family owned and operated 
business that has passed from one generation to another.
  Angelo's Restaurant opened in 1924 and has become a landmark on 
Providence's Federal Hill as the State's longest operating family-owned 
restaurant. The founder and namesake of the restaurant, Angelo 
Mastrodicasa, envisioned a place where the working people of the 
neighborhood could find good food at affordable prices. Mr. Antignano, 
who is the third generation of his family to run the restaurant, has 
continued to pursue this mission with great success. Since assuming 
ownership of Angelo's in 1988, Mr. Antignano has tripled the number of 
employees and increased revenues by more than 300 percent.
  From Hollywood stars, New England sports legends, and national 
political figures to the family who comes in for Sunday dinner, 
Angelo's is the backdrop for so many memorable occasions. This 
restaurant is more than a place to eat; it is a slice of Americana 
where people from all walks of life sit elbow to elbow at the same 
white marble tables their grandparents and other family members may 
have shared over the years. The Butland award recognizes Angelo's 
legacy and its prominent place in our hearts.
  I am proud of Mr. Antignano, his hard-working, committed staff, and 
all small business owners in Rhode Island, who together form an 
essential part of Rhode Island's economy. According to the SBA, small 
businesses comprise 96 percent of all businesses in the State. Time and 
again, small businesses, by virtue of their size, have proven their 
ability to be innovative and flexible, meeting emerging needs for new 
products and services and improving on those that already exist.
  Once again, I congratulate Mr. Antignano and his family on their 
success and wish them many more generations of good customers, food, 
and spirits.

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