Jose Luis Correa: “Today I rise to honor the career of my good friend Jim Zehmer, who has dedicated 32 years of his life to keeping…”

“Today I rise to honor the career of my good friend Jim Zehmer, who has dedicated 32 years of his life to keeping manufacturing jobs in Southern California. Jim is retiring from his position as president of Toyota's first North American manufacturing facility in our community. Under his guidance, that manufacturing auto plant in Southern California is still there. As a fellow Bruin, Jim started his career with the finance team in 1992. By working hard, he made his way up to management. His dedication and his efforts led to the manufacturing plant's success, and they recently celebrated 50 years of existence in Southern California. Jim has also been a committed member of our community, serving on the boards of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, the California Conference for Equality and Justice, and the Long Beach Ronald McDonald House. I want to take this moment to thank Jim for his leadership, his dedication, and for always recognizing the backbone of America's manufacturing workers. Jim exemplifies the key values in our Southern California community. I thank Jim very much and let me say to you: Week 5 will live forever. ____________________”