[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11009]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING FLORIDA'S SMALL BUSINESSES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise to recognize the 
many small businesses throughout the Nation, and especially in my home 
State of Florida and in my area of south Florida, that I hope will lead 
us into the great economic recovery.
  As we have in the past, we shall recover again. Small business owners 
are going to be an essential part of that recovery because small 
business owners are truly the backbone of our Nation's economy, 
employing tens of millions of workers and creating most of the new 
private sector jobs that are so important for true economic growth.
  I'd like to take this opportunity to especially recognize two small 
businesses in my district which definitely represent America's 
tradition of free enterprise and individual initiative.
  Tri-City Electric has reached a well-respected place in both Florida 
and the electrical contracting industry with well over 300 employees. 
This family firm has been providing electrical design, installation, 
and service in south Florida for three generations since 1946. This 
small business's name also played a role in the fascinating rise of 
small business after World War II, in that it was selected to represent 
our area's three major cities at that time: Miami, Coral Gables, and 
Miami Beach. Like most small businesses, Tri-City Electric is made of 
folks who didn't start at the top and, in this case, started in the 
trenches digging to lay pipeline in the hot weather while working 
whatever hours it takes to get the job done.
  Another small business with a long tradition of service in south 
Florida is Riverside Electric Company. This was established in 1922--I 
love anything older than I am--which is one of oldest electrical 
contracting firms in the southeastern United States. Another firm with 
a proud family tradition, its roots go back to Atlanta, where the 
company played a key role in converting the city's streetlights from 
gas to electric. Its founder, Eugene M. Irvin, Sr., later moved his 
family to Miami and began Riverside Electric Company. His great 
grandson, James Irvin, is now co-owner of the company, along with 
Alexander Rodriguez, who started as an apprentice and worked his way up 
to become a journeyman and master electrician.
  Madam Speaker, these are just two examples of Florida's nearly 2 
million small businesses that have provided economic opportunities to 
diverse groups of people and have delivered innovative products and 
services to a worldwide marketplace.
  Florida's small employers, in 2006, represented 99 percent of the 
State's employers and 44 percent of its private sector employment. Of 
even greater significance, however, is that small businesses created 
nearly 60 percent of my State's new jobs in recent years. Think of that 
figure. Sixty percent of the new jobs in the State of Florida were 
created by small businesses.
  It is my honor and my privilege to recognize today the many dedicated 
and hardworking employees of small businesses who have done so much 
over the years to serve their neighbors in so many ways.

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