[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17445-17446]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING SERGIO MASSA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 2010

  Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, as we celebrate 
Hispanic Heritage Month, I rise to honor one of South Florida's finest 
community leaders, Sergio Massa.
  Sergio was born in the historic Port of Callao, Peru and completed 
his studies at the Colegio Militar Leoncio Prado. At an early age, his 
family instilled in him the value and importance of service and 
activism, and it is one that he has carried with him throughout his 
life. He came to the United States when he was 18 years old and first 
lived in San Francisco. He later moved to New York and in 1979 received 
a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration & Accounting from the 
New York Institute of Technology. Sergio then began his community 
involvement as a board member of Club Peru New York, the oldest 
Peruvian organization in the United States. He later moved to Miami, 
became the president of Club Peru Miami, and established his own 
company, Business Authority Corporation, which provides accounting 
services and development for small and midsized businesses.
  In 1994, Sergio established the Peruvian American Coalition (PAC), 
which has brought together Peruvians from across the country and serves 
as a venue for its members to engage in politics and the legislative 
process, while promoting issues important to the Peruvian American 
community. Today, PAC has chapters in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, West 
Palm Beach, Atlanta, Utah, Idaho and New York City.
  For years, Sergio has also been involved in an issue critical to our 
nation and that is immigration reform. Through the establishment of the 
Latin American Foundation, he has helped and guided countless 
immigrants as they transition and settle in the United States, enter 
the workforce and tackle language and cultural barriers. Sergio 
continues to advocate for comprehensive immigration reform, 
coordinating with other community groups and elected officials at all 
levels of government and working for the passage of that legislation.
  Aside from the PAC and the Latin American Foundation, Sergio is the 
founder of the Peruvian American Political Organization USA (PAPO USA), 
the Peruvian American Coalition Foundation, the Tumi USA Award, the 
Latin American Voters League, Inc., the Convention of Peruvian 
Institutions in the USA, and AIPEUC-the Association of Peruvian 
Institutions in the USA and Canada.
  Throughout his impressive career as a successful businessman and a 
selfless leader in our community, he has counted on the unconditional 
support of his wife Flor and his children, who have understood the 
value and importance of his service and have joined him in putting the 
needs of their community first. Sergio has earned the respect and 
admiration of many in our community and has been honored and recognized 
by local governments and organizations. Today I join all of them in 
thanking my good friend Sergio Massa for his undying commitment to 
seeing the success of the Peruvian American community and all Hispanics 
in South Florida and across the United States. He values the principles 
of democracy and works each day to ensure that they are preserved for 
all to enjoy.

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