[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 13411-13412]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING FLEX-A-LITE ON THEIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ADAM SMITH

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 2, 2012

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the Flex-a-lite 
company, a Fife, Washington manufacturer for their 50 years of American 
manufacturing. The company has continuously set itself apart from its 
competition in the automotive industry by promoting strong domestic 
sales and rarely outsourcing manufacturing abroad.
  Eddy Davis, along with his son-in-law, Rainer Willingham, founded 
Flex-a-lite in 1962. The company dramatically changed the automotive 
world, by inventing the very first flexible fan created from hand-cut 
fiberglass roofing material. In 1978, the founders patented the first 
electric fan and three generations later, the company continues to 
prosper.
  The current president of Flex-a-lite and granddaughter of Eddy Davis, 
Lisa Chissus, has said that the business has been able to overcome 
hardships during tough economic times because Flex-a-lite remained 
loyal to three key factors: innovation, quality, and smooth succession.

[[Page 13412]]

  The company has consistently produced new, innovative products and 
continues to bring new ideas to the table. Flex-a-lite takes great 
pride in their top quality products that are made and sold in the 
United States. It is clear that the business's family-owned values have 
helped to successfully guide the company for a half century.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with honor that I recognize the Flex-a-lite 
company. I am confident that Flex-a-lite will flourish for years to 
come.

                          ____________________