Political Quotes

“Small businesses are the heart of each of our communities. I rise today to recognize the efforts of a good friend, a great entrepreneur, and one of my constituents, Julie Goodnight, and her bakery, Julie's Sweet Shoppe in Conway, Arkansas. Julie began her career in the bakery industry at the age of 17 as she worked for her father's bakery, Ed's. As the granddaughter of two World War II veterans, Julie loved how her father's shop provided a place for local veterans to meet and share their stories over a cup of coffee and a doughnut. Beginning at Ed's in the 1990s, Julie worked to honor these local heroes by celebrating them with an annual Veterans Day event, and when Julie finally got that amazing opportunity that every American entrepreneur dreams of, opening her own shop on Veterans Day in 2013, she continued this amazing family tradition. Since its founding, Julie's Sweet Shoppe has honored over 1,000 local veterans at its annual Veterans Day celebration. I have had the honor of attending every Veterans Day event at Julie's, and I have seen firsthand the impact she makes on our community. I thank Julie's Sweet Shoppe for their outstanding service to our veterans in central Arkansas and to wish them continued success in all of their endeavors. Syrian Emergency Task Force, 2024 Community Partner of the Year Award”