Washington, D.C. - The Small Business Council of America (SBCA) has presented U.S. Senator Susan Collins with the "Outstanding Congressional Achievement Award." Bruce Johnson, Esq., an SBCA member whose law firm Johnson & Associates is based in Springvale, ME, introduced Senator Collins at the ceremony and presented her with the award.
SBCA is a national nonprofit organization which has represented the interests of privately-held and family-owned businesses across America on federal tax, health care and employee benefit matters since 1979. It represents more than 20,000 small businesses nationwide. The "Outstanding Congressional Achievement Award" is SBCA's highest Congressional honor and has been given out less than five times over the last 30 years.
"Senator Collins is the recipient of SBCA's highest Congressional Award in recognition of her extraordinary effectiveness as a legislator. Her deep understanding of issues critical to the nation's small businesses and her dedicated efforts has greatly helped those businesses," said Paula Calimafde, Chair of the SBCA.
"Senator Collins is a long-time friend of small businesses in Maine and throughout the nation, and she is a deserving recipient of this award," Bruce Johnson said.
"The thing that stands out most about the men and women who run small businesses is their optimism and 'can-do' spirit. They are passionate about their work, and their boundless energy is always directed at creating solutions and overcoming roadblocks," Senator Collins said in a speech after receiving the award.
"Here in Washington, we need to feel the same passion about creating a vibrant, just, and prosperous America," she continued. "To achieve that, we need legislators who not only work hard, but work together."
Senator Collins spoke about how growing up in a fifth-generation family business has had a profound impact on her appreciation of small business and her understanding of the issues they face today. S.W. Collins, a full-service lumber and building materials supply company, was founded in Caribou in 1844.