Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the award-winning small business owners in Alabama's Seventh Congressional District as we celebrate National Small Business Week. Ms. Jackie Smith is the proud owner and operator of The Coffee Shoppe and Reflections in our hometown of Selma, Alabama. After leaving her job in 2011, Jackie bravely took on the risk of opening up her own small business, turning the site that once was a segregated diner into a beautiful coffee shop in the heart of downtown Selma. For 13 years, The Coffee Shoppe has provided a place for the community to come together, learn about Selma's history, and eat some great food. Like any businessowner, Jackie has had her fair share of hardships. After the tornado of January 12, 2023, we saw her resilience, and thanks to an investment by the SBA, she was able to open her doors and continue The Coffee Shoppe's great legacy; and, in fact, she opened up another business, Reflections. This week, Jackie's extraordinary entrepreneurship earned her national recognition as the Small Business Administration's 2024 Phoenix Award winner for outstanding disaster recovery efforts. We congratulate her on her outstanding achievements. Today, I also recognize SBA's 2024 Small Business Persons of the Year in Alabama: Shanna Ullmann, Timothy Ullmann, and Robert Prescott of Transformation Partners, LLC in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Beginning in the year 2000, as a statewide training provider, their firm has grown tremendously over the past two decades.…”