[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9389-9390]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO KATY LESSER

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate Katy Lesser of 
Underhill, VT, for being named Vermont's 2010 Small Business Person of 
the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
  Lesser is the owner of Healthy Living, a natural and organic food 
store in South Burlington, VT. In its 23 years of business, Healthy 
Living has grown from humble beginnings into a new 33,000-square-foot 
market with a staff of 130 employees. Healthy Living also is a leader 
in Vermont's sustainability movement by promoting a diverse and vibrant 
selection of locally grown foods and locally made products.
  I had the pleasure of meeting Katy and her adult children, Eli and 
Nina, when they were in Washington this week for the national awards 
ceremony. Working at the store is a family affair, and they all put in 
long hours to make it go. I wish them well when they take a much needed 
vacation to Ireland.
  Once again, I commend Katy Lesser on this well-deserved honor. I ask 
unanimous consent that a March 29 article from The Burlington Free 
Press on Katy's accomplishments be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record as follows:

            [From the Burlington Free Press, Mar. 29, 2010]

  Healthy Living Owner Katy Lesser Named Vermont's SBA Person of Year

                         (By Myra Mathis Flynn)

       It's your neighborhood grocery store that packs a healthy 
     punch. Located at 222 Dorset St., Healthy Living is the 
     natural and organic food store with a well-known community 
     outreach program, cooking classes and fully stocked bulk 
     section.
       Starting at 1,200 square feet with only one employee and 
     average earnings of $300 a day, Healthy Living has grown over 
     a period of 23 years into a 33,000-square-foot market with a 
     staff of 130 employees, and average daily sales of $50,000. 
     Leading the market to success has been owner Katy Lesser. 
     Now, she is being recognized for it.
       Lesser has been named the U.S. Small Business 
     Administration's 2010 Vermont Small Business Person of the 
     Year. Nominated by David Blow Jr., vice president of Granite 
     State Development Corp. in Burlington, Lesser was selected 
     for outstanding leadership related to her company's staying 
     power, employee growth, increase in sales, innovative 
     ingenuity and contributions to the community, the SBA said. 
     Recession aside, Lesser's sales for 2009 were more than $17 
     million.
       Lesser was quick to share the credit.
       ``I attribute my passion for food and people, tenacity, 
     patience, being part of a terrific industry, willingness to 
     learn, being a risk-taker, and a fabulous, amazing staff to 
     my success,'' Lesser said. ``Bottom line, you have to want to 
     get up and do it all over again every day.''
       Healthy Living was also at the forefront of the localvore 
     movement as Lesser's long-term relationships with local 
     farmers has stocked the market with local fruits, vegetables, 
     meats, poultry, dairy products and more. The market also acts 
     as an incubator for small, local culinary producers and 
     carries products from more than 1,000 Vermont producers.
       In 2008, Healthy Living uprooted and moved to its current 
     location. The move and expansion was a risk, but one that 
     Lesser was not shy to take.
       ``I believe it's just as risky to be too small as it is to 
     be too big. So when I decided to expand, I did a lot of 
     research all over the country to see what other natural foods 
     markets were up to,'' Lesser said. ``I traveled all over the 
     country and got a good sense of what was working and what was 
     not. I wanted space for more product, of course, but I also 
     wanted space for customers to meet, eat, hang out, learn and 
     have a sense of community meeting place. I think I did 
     that.''
       Lesser is gradually turning the business over to her two 
     children, both of whom returned to Vermont following college 
     and jobs elsewhere. Lesser's 32-year-old son, Eli, a graduate 
     of Brandeis University, is Healthy Living's chief operating 
     officer. Her 26-year-old daughter, Nina, a graduate of George 
     Washington University and the French Culinary Institute in 
     New York, is the store's education coordinator and director 
     of the market's newest venture, the Healthy Living Learning 
     Center.
       As Vermont's Small Business Person of the Year, Lesser will 
     compete for the national title at National Small Business 
     Week ceremonies May 23-25 in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Small 
     Business Administration will honor her locally June 17 at a 
     ceremony sponsored by the SBA and Vermont Business Magazine 
     at the Shelburne Farms Coach Barn.
       ``More than ever, I believe a good leader serves--serves 
     her customers, her staff, her vendors and her truck drivers. 
     Love of true service makes every day a joy because there is a 
     never-ending list of people to help in many, many ways,'' 
     Lesser said. ``It's an honor to serve a community like ours. 
     I've experienced more loyalty and energy from our community 
     than I ever dreamed possible.''

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