[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3655-3656]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING TED FOWLER ON HIS RETIREMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Buck). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Holding) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOLDING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Ted Fowler, who 
recently retired from a storied career at one of North Carolina's and, 
indeed, one of America's famous dining establishments, Golden Corral.
  An inspirational leader, Ted retired after nearly 40 years at the 
helm of Golden Corral. A humble yet enthusiastic man, Ted is a 
relentless competitor who achieved great success by demonstrating 
tireless commitment to his company, employees, and customers.
  Ted joined the Golden Corral family not long after its first 
restaurant opened in 1973. He oversaw the expansion of the franchise 
from a one-family steakhouse in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to over 
500 restaurants nationwide. This includes operations in 41 States with 
over 9,000 employees and revenues upward of $195 million. Mr. Speaker, 
that is no small feat.
  Ted steered the company through its brand transition, which was a 
difficult undertaking in today's restaurant industry. He worked hard to 
ensure the upward mobility of his employees so that every employee had 
a chance to achieve a better life. For example, Mr. Speaker, he 
initiated a company program that helped entry-level employees become 
managers within a year; and within 5 years, they could run their own 
franchise.
  Mr. Fowler is more than just a respected leader in the restaurant 
industry. He truly cared about the people who worked and dined at 
Golden Corral. For instance, since 2001, Golden Corral has served more 
than 4 million free meals to active and retired military personnel on 
Veterans Day. He also oversaw Camp Corral, a free, one-of-a-kind summer 
camp for children of wounded and disabled or fallen military 
servicemembers. Since its founding, Camp Corral has grown to 20 camps 
in 16 States and has served over 4,000 children. It is because of big-
hearted causes like these that I am proud to call Ted Fowler a friend.
  Encouragement and leadership exemplified through many of his company 
programs are some of the reasons why Mr. Fowler is a past recipient of 
the North Carolina Restaurateur of the Year Award, the Foodservice 
Operator of the Year, and the Gold Plate Award.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize and congratulate a proven job 
creator and an even better man. Ted Fowler embodies all the qualities 
of a noble, compassionate businessman. I wish him good health and 
happiness in his retirement.

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