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“TO HONOR MR. FRANK RIVERA AND ALT INC. AS A RECIPIENT OF THE NATIONAL MINORITY SERVICE FIRM OF THE YEAR” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1870-E1871 on Oct. 12, 2001.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TO HONOR MR. FRANK RIVERA AND ALT INC. AS A RECIPIENT OF THE NATIONAL
MINORITY SERVICE FIRM OF THE YEAR
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speech of
HON. ED PASTOR
of arizona
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, October 9, 2001
Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to draw attention to one of my constituents, Mr. Frank Rivera, and his business, ATL, Inc., which recently was selected to receive the National Minority Service Firm of the Year Award by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency. Mr. Rivera was presented with this award in September during the 19th Annual National Minority Enterprise Development Week Conference.
Mr. Rivera, President and CEO of ATL, Inc., was selected to receive this honor because of his achievements and the role he has played to further the progress of minority business development. This award is a great honor, as Mr. Rivera competed with 32 nominees from nine states. He then was selected from a pool of regional winners from around the country for the National Minority Service Firm of the Year Award.
Minority Enterprise Development Week is an annual national celebration in recognition of the contributions made by minority businesses to the nation's economy. It is the largest federally-
sponsored activity held on behalf of minority business development and attracts the participation of both public and private sector officials.
To give you some background on Mr. Rivera, he was born in 1944 in a small mining community of Globe, Arizona. The community at that time was segregated with the Caucasian land owners living on one side of town and the Hispanic mine workers living on the other side. Frank's father worked hard in the copper mines and the local utility company so Frank could have better opportunities for his life. The senior Mr. Rivera wanted the young Mr. Rivera to have career options and knew that only an excellent education could provide his son with the opportunities he never had. Mr. Rivera's mother, a homemaker, instilled his religious roots and an appreciation for his Hispanic culture into her son and gave him his religious roots.
In 1968, the young Mr. Rivera graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor's of Science degree in construction management. He would then go on to amass experience working for various construction firms. In March 1988, Mr. Rivera accepted a position at ATL, Inc., overseeing material testing and inspection for a light rail project with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority. Upon completion of this assignment, Frank Rivera was offered the opportunity to purchase ATL, Inc. He marshaled his resources and in October of 1992, Frank and his partner David Hayes purchased ATL, Inc.
Mr. Rivera had a vision for ATL, Inc. He wanted to make it the best materials testing and geotechnical-engineering consultant in the state. Under his direction, he took the $800,000 annual business and grew it into a multi-million dollar firm. ATL's annual sales now top $4 million and will exceed $5 million annually within the next two years. Since 1992, it has grown to employ 57 people and currently is seeking more qualified engineers and technicians.
In addition to the success he has experience with ATL, Mr. Rivera has become a well-respected leader who has volunteered for numerous roles on various organizations. He is a Commissioner on the City of Phoenix Human Relations Commission and also Chairs its Business Development Committee. He is Chairman of the Associated Minority Contractors of America, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Chairs its Public Policy Committee. He also is a member of the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Contractors of America and the Valley of the Sun YMCA. In addition, he is a member of the Grand Canyon Minority Supplier Development Council, American Society of Professional Estimators, Society of American Military Engineers, American Welding Society, American Society for Nondestructive Testing and the Arizona State University Industry Advisory Council.
As you can tell Mr. Speaker, this award bestowed on Mr. Rivera and his company was earned through hard work and is well deserved. I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Frank Rivera and ATL, Inc.
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