[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 3573-3574]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING LARRY GOMEZ FOR HIS SERVICE TO OMAHA CHAMBER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. LEE TERRY

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 13, 2013

  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Larry Gomez on his last 
week as Director of Small Business Services at the Omaha Chamber of 
Commerce. After 36 years serving small business owners in Omaha, Larry 
will hang up his Chamber shoes on March 15th and replace them with golf 
shoes.
  A graduate of Bishop-Ryan High School in 1966 and of the University 
of Nebraska-Omaha in 1971, Larry spent his days as captain of the 
baseball team. When he wasn't busy with baseball, he earned a speech 
and communication/business degree from UNO. Upon graduating, he took a 
job with the City of Omaha in 1972 as the Chief Relocation Officer 
where he spearheaded the relocation of 52 businesses from the Central 
Park Mall.
  Since he joined the Omaha Chamber in 1976 he hasn't looked back. As 
Director of the Omaha Regional Minority Purchasing Council, he matched 
minority businesses with corporate buyers. In 1978, Larry was named 
Director of Small Business Council and Area Councils. Major milestones 
during his tenure with the Chamber include: Buy the Big O! Show, Omaha 
25 Fastest Growing (now the Big O! Excellence Awards), Business on the 
Green, and the Area Council Golden Spike Awards. In the last five 
years, Larry has been an integral part of the membership team and 
member retention.
  Larry has been a tremendously valuable resource for my office. 
Whether it was setting up a group of business leaders to discuss cyber 
technology or the hurdles facing owners, Larry was always the first 
call.
  I am going to miss seeing him at the many ribbon cuttings we've 
attended together through the years. What I do look forward to,

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however, is seeing if he puts his band--Larry Gomez and the 
Brotherhood--back together again.
  So I rise today to thank him for his years of service and for his 
efforts to strengthen our city. May his drives be straight and his 
putts be few. I speak for all Omahans when I say we'll miss him and the 
energy he brought to the Chamber.

                          ____________________