[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13855]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING BARRY CONCRETE, INC.

 Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, family-owned small businesses have 
a strong tradition in Louisiana and are the backbone of the business 
community. This week I would like to recognize Barry Concrete, Inc., of 
Lafayette, LA, as Small Business of the Week, which has been family-
owned for three generations.
  Barry Concrete was founded in 1947 by Charles Weldon Barry, Sr., 
better known as ``Tex.'' After working as an electrician in the New 
Orleans Higgins Boat factory during World War II, Tex returned to his 
native Lafayette and established Barry Concrete. He successfully ran 
the company until his retirement in the late 1970s, when his son 
Charles Weldon Barry, Jr., better known as ``Buzzy,'' took the reins. 
Upon Buzzy's untimely death in 1991, his wife, Bonny, continued to run 
the business, persevering in the face of great difficulties in order to 
help her sons attend college. After all three Barry sons--Mitch, 
Patrick, and Brady--graduated, they each joined the family business and 
today oversee day-to-day operations as CEO, VP of operations, and 
quality control manager respectively.
  With four locations in Breaux Bridge, Lafayette, New Iberia, and 
Opelousas, Barry Concrete is well-positioned to provide concrete for a 
range of jobs in the Acadiana region. Barry Concrete is a nimble 
operation that can pour concrete on any scale, from residential 
driveways and wheelchair ramps to bridges, and even helped build the 
University of Louisiana-Lafayette's Cajundome.
  Congratulations, again, to the Barry family and the employees of 
Barry Concrete, Inc., for being selected as Small Business of the Week 
and for carrying on Louisiana's tradition of family-owned small 
businesses.

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