[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6950]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING KING ARTHUR FLOUR

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, on May 19, 2016, hundreds of guests flooded 
the Senate's Kennedy Caucus Room for the eleventh annual Taste of 
Vermont, an event that brings together over 60 businesses that showcase 
the best Vermont has to offer. From microbreweries to distilleries, 
farms to creameries, bake shops to chocolatiers, these business 
represent the best of Vermont's many unique, homegrown products. All of 
these businesses deserve acknowledgment for their contributions to our 
great State and for putting Vermont's business-friendly environment on 
the map. I want to take a minute to shine the spotlight on one company 
in particular.
  On the eve of this year's Taste of Vermont, the Employee Stock 
Ownership Plan, ESOP, Association named King Arthur Flour the 2016 
Company of the Year. Founded in 1790, King Arthur Flour epitomizes 
Vermont values. A business leader within the community, the company is 
focused on providing quality products to its loyal customers. After 
relocating to Norwich, VT, in 1984, owners Frank and Brinna Sands sold 
their company to their employees. They became 100 percent employee-
owned in 2004 and have helped numerous other Vermont companies 
transition to ESOP status, including Heritage Aviation, the most recent 
Vermont-based company to join the ESOP ranks.
  King Arthur Flour has long been dedicated to bettering itself and its 
community, a laudable and often uncommon commitment from businesses. 
Currently in the midst of a large expansion of their facilities and 
programming, King Arthur Flour has adapted to meet the needs of their 
customers and introduced award-winning gluten-free baking mixes in 
2010. The life skills bread baking program recently taught its 
120,000th student, and classes from the baking education center have 
reached over 4,600 bakers.
  In King Arthur Flour, I see a commitment to being on the cutting edge 
of new ideas and developments, while remaining true to what their 
customers deserve. Congratulations to King Arthur Flour for this 
outstanding achievement and to everyone who was involved.

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