[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12496-12497]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ADA JOBS FOUNDATION OF ADA, 
                                OKLAHOMA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM COLE

                              of oklahoma

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 12, 2008

  Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege today to rise 
in recognition of an organization that has done tremendous work in 
helping bring jobs and prosperity to central Oklahoma. The Ada Jobs 
Foundation is celebrating ten years of fostering economic and career 
development in the Ada area. Working closely with local and state and 
tribal government, the Ada Jobs Foundation has helped make Ada's 
unemployment rate among the state's lowest.
  Focusing on three main goals, the Ada Jobs Foundation strives to 
assist businesses in retaining their existing jobs, recruiting new 
firms to relocate to Ada, and encouraging and supporting new start-up 
firms. It has a very impressive and successful track record of working 
closely with the Ada Area Chamber of Commerce, the Ada Industrial 
Development Corporation, the city of Ada, the Ponotoc County 
Commissioners, East Central University, the Science and Natural 
Resources Foundation, and the Chickasaw Nation.
  Madam Speaker, this non-profit organization seeks to reach out and 
build lasting connections between hard-working Oklahomans and the 
communities in which they live. This mutually beneficial relationship 
is a testament to the positive changes that can occur when business and 
government work together for the economic wellbeing of their community. 
With over 19,000 people currently employed in the Ada area, it 
currently has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state of 
Oklahoma. I am proud to represent the city of Ada, and I am especially 
proud of the initiative taken by Ada's civic leaders to create and 
continue a program as successful as the Ada Jobs Foundation. Creating a 
diverse pool of jobs, focusing on developing local infrastructure, and 
strategic planning sessions to create long-term, sustainable progress 
in the Ada community is something that generations of citizens will 
surely benefit from for years to come.
  It is my honor to stand here before you and celebrate an organization 
which has been the source of great pride and progress in central 
Oklahoma. I congratulate the Ada Jobs Foundation on ten years of 
bringing economic development to their community, and wish them many 
more years of success.

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