[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12391-12392]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          CELEBRATING SHAPIRO & COMPANY'S 100 YEARS OF SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN P. SARBANES

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 23, 2015

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Samuel 
Shapiro & Company, Inc., a Customs brokerage and freight forwarding 
firm in Baltimore, on 100 years of service to the international trade 
community.
  In 1915, Samuel Shapiro, a newly licensed Customs House broker, 
opened a one-room office at 29 S Gay Street with a $5 roll top desk and 
two employees. He built his company on a foundation of integrity, 
respect and the ability to create change. During World War I, Samuel's 
young firm managed the U.S. government's grain exports to war-torn 
European countries out of the Port of Baltimore. As business expanded 
internationally, Shapiro & Co. earned a reputation as the most 
trustworthy shipping firm in Baltimore. Samuel became an influential 
leader in the expansion of the Port and advocated for an autonomous 
Maryland Port Authority. Samuel's son, Sigmund, strengthened the 
company's relationship with government officials at the local, state 
and national level, becoming a voice for the industry on regulation.

[[Page 12392]]

  More than a family business, Shapiro & Co. is a family that cares for 
its own and its community. Samuel began the tradition of philanthropy 
early. At the close of his first full year of business, and having made 
a modest profit of $50, he gave 20% to the American Jewish Relief Fund. 
That spirit of generosity has continued with the deep community 
involvement of Sig and Barbara Shapiro and the next generation 
leadership of Samuel's granddaughter, Marjorie. Shapiro & Co. sponsors 
a logistics class at the University of Baltimore Business School, 
consults with nonprofit organizations pro bono, matches its employees' 
charitable contributions and helps its employees' children pay for 
college. With annual retreats and crab feasts, birthday celebrations, 
and a company cookbook, the people at Shapiro & Co. enjoy the time they 
spend together. It is little wonder that Shapiro is consistently ranked 
one of the top places to work in Baltimore.
  Over the last century, Shapiro & Co. has managed not only to adapt to 
new challenges but to flourish. Its offices now reach from New York to 
Georgia, but Shapiro continues to value the same old-fashioned customer 
service established at Sam's roll-top desk in 1915. I thank Shapiro & 
Co. for 100 years of dedication to its customers, care for its 
employees, and leadership in its community, and I look forward to the 
100 years to come.

                          ____________________