Brad Pierce, President of Restaurant Equipment World, Testifies Before the United States Senate

Testimony of Brad Pierce, President of
Restaurant Equipment World (A Pierce Sales Co., Inc.)
at the hearing by the
Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation,
and Export Promotion of the Commerce Committee
United States Senate
October 6, 2009

On Tuesday, October 6, 2009, Brad Pierce, President of Orlando based Restaurant Equipment World testified before a United States Senate Subcommittee in Washington, D.C. regarding increasing global export trade for small businesses. Over the past several years, Pierce has grown his export business substantially which now accounts for more than 30% of his company's annual sales volume and spans more than 100 countries internationally. While Pierce has accomplished this without the aid of government assistance, he certainly is interested in programs the government has available to help him increase his and other small businesses' export volumes. Pierce stated, "There are 24 million small businesses which create approximately 80% of the new jobs in this country. In this troubled economy I see how much our business has been aided by exports, to not only survive, but to grow as a business. I would certainly like to see other companies benefit in this same manner." The content of his speech and subsequent question and answer session with numerous Senators and other government officials continued to drive home the importance of increased global exports for small businesses. He concluded his testimony by stating, "I truly believe that as partners with the US government working hand in hand together, we can certainly increase our export trade. This will save U.S. jobs, provide an increase in revenue, help for us to recover faster from the current economic downturn, and make us stronger as a nation." Pierce was testifying on behalf of the National Federation of Independent Businesses at the invitation of United States Senator George LeMieux of Florida.

Restaurant Equipment World (A Pierce Sales Co., Inc.) is an industry leading dealer of commercial restaurant equipment and supplies. They are a family owned company based in Orlando, Florida and have approximately 45 employees. Over the past 33 years, the company has sold goods to more than 75,000 customers in all 50 states and more than 100 countries internationally. The company was the first in their industry to embrace the e-commerce market more than 13 years ago and currently operates a network more than 200 online websites dedicated to foodservice equipment and supplies. The company's online catalog available at www.REWonline.com boasts over 26,000 products from more than 200 manufacturers.

Published by:
Ramona Weisent

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