[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 4677-4678]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING GUS MACHADO FORD FOR RECEIVING THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY 
                           PRESIDENT'S AWARD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a 
constituent of my south Florida community, Gus Machado of Gus Machado

[[Page 4678]]

Ford, for receiving the Ford Motor Company's President's Award. The 
President's Award is a prestigious honor and is awarded to less than 10 
percent of all dealers nationwide. It recognizes Gus Machado Ford for 
exceeding customer expectations in every department.
  Customer satisfaction is more important than ever during these tough 
economic times. Its loyal and supportive customer base has allowed 
Machado Ford to prosper where others have seen their markets shrink. 
Certainly, in the past year and a half, we have sadly witnessed many 
dealers close up shop, and it has been a very difficult period for car 
dealers nationwide; but Gus has not only survived but has flourished. I 
applaud Gus Machado Ford for making the interests of customers its 
number one priority.
  To further recognize his contribution to our south Florida 
neighborhoods, two outstanding individuals, Remedios and Fausto Diaz-
Oliver, will acknowledge the significant aid that Gus has provided to 
others with a community event this Sunday. Gus may be best known for 
his outstanding company, but his hand in helping those less fortunate 
in our south Florida area is admirable.
  In 1985, Gus organized the first golf shootout at the Doral Golf 
Resort. With all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society, the 
charity event was so successful that his shootout has become an annual 
event.
  Along with his golf event, Gus is also founder of two additional 
charity events. He is the founder of the first PGA Tour Senior Golf 
Classic in Miami at Key Biscayne, which donates to the American Cancer 
Society and to the United Way. He is also the founder of the Gus 
Machado Classic Charity Golf Tournament, which has raised over half a 
million dollars for cancer research.
  In 2008, to better serve the community through his charitable 
contributions, he created the Gus Machado Family Foundation. Every 
year, the foundation celebrates the Gus Machado Community and Back to 
School Fair on the grounds of his car dealership. The event provides 
hundreds of children with backpacks full of school supplies. Along with 
the generous donations of school materials that the foundation supplies 
to our children, it also offers immunizations and ID cards for kids in 
conjunction with different State and local government agencies during 
the back-to-school community fair.
  As a contributor to over 30 charitable organizations, few in our 
community have impacted south Florida as much as Gus has. Again, 
congratulations to Gus Machado for his recent commendation and for his 
leadership to our community.


                       Retirement of Ervin Higgs

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Ervin Higgs on his 
well-deserved retirement after 46 years of public service in the 
Florida Keys. Ervin's long and distinguished career was marked by a 
solid 35 years as property appraiser of Monroe County, otherwise known 
as the Keys. In his service to the Keys, Ervin has borne witness to the 
unique and profound changes that have taken place in our Keys 
community. His commitment to excellence has truly allowed him to shape 
the lives of countless Conchs.
  It is sad to see such a fine and dedicated public servant retiring, 
but those who follow in his footsteps will truly have much to 
establish. There are few greater rewards than the satisfaction of 
serving one's community, and I thank Ervin so very much for having 
embraced this most noble of endeavors with such high principles.
  Congratulations to Ervin on his retirement, and I wish him all the 
best on this new chapter of his life.

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