The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“MCT INDUSTRIES” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1187-E1188 on Aug. 1, 2013.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
MCT INDUSTRIES
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HON. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM
of new mexico
in the house of representatives
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with the gentleman from New Mexico, Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, to honor a great New Mexican business, MCT Industries, for its forty-year contribution to the manufacturing infrastructure of the American economy. On this day, we also honor Ted Martinez, the founder of MCT Industries, and the entire Martinez family for their substantial contributions and service to New Mexico and to the United States of America.
To truly comprehend the success of MCT Industries, it is important to first understand the remarkable people behind the company. Born on September 18, 1947, Ted Martinez and his five brothers and sisters grew up in a home with no indoor plumbing. Just like his ancestors who homesteaded the Trujillo land on which he grew up, Ted began working on a ranch at 5 a.m. each morning.
Ted learned of the importance of hard work from his parents, Manuel and Isabel. He watched his parents each work several jobs to support the family. Together, Manuel and Isabel ran a general store, while Isabel also served as the postmaster of the only post office in the area. When Manuel was not working in the general store or on the ranch, he also drove a school bus.
From a young age, Ted had big dreams. Knowing he wanted to do more than run the ranch, he decided to leave home and get trained in welding at the Job Corps in San Antonio, Texas. Although he completed the 12-
month program in just six months, Ted could not find a job because of his youth. While looking for work, he lived in his car behind a gas station and ate only one meal a day. Finally, he came upon Eidson Metal in Albuquerque and applied for a job. After a great deal of persuasion and negotiation, the foreman hired Ted. Just two months later, Ted became the foreman of the water tank crew at Eidson Metal.
In 1969, Ted married Anedina, a woman from nearby Garita, New Mexico, whom Ted had known since he was 12. Dina's father, Benerito, served as the foreman of the New Mexico State Highway Department, and kept a ranch of his own, while his wife, Mary, worked as a nurse's aide in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Although Ted and Dina did not have much, their future looked bright. Dina soon became pregnant with their first child.
Even though Ted was working 60 hours a week at Eidson Metal and Dina had a job at the Department of Agriculture, times were tough. Wanting a better life for his family, Ted quit his job when Dina was eight months pregnant with their daughter, Claudine, to start his own business. With
$200 and a welding machine, Ted and Dina set out on their own.
As their workload steadily grew, they decided to formally incorporate a business. On June 8, 1973, Ted and Dina founded Martinez Custom Trailers. Having saved up $42,000 they were able to purchase five acres of land. It would be another two years before they saved up enough money to construct a building. Living at the shop in their mobile home, Ted and Dina were able to monitor business around the clock. It was during this time that they welcomed to their home their precious son Bennie. A year after Bennie was born, Dina quit her job at the Department of Agriculture to work full time at the family business.
By 1980, Martinez Custom Trailers ran full-scale production lines of various commercial trailers, and employed 25 people. Ted soon decided to expand from building commercial trailers to building trailers for the federal government. Driven by his profound respect for the military, Ted bid for and won his first federal contract for the Army M353 general-purpose trailer.
Using his Army contracting experience, he bid jobs with Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories and successfully landed contracts in the nuclear transportation industry. Martinez Custom Trailers proudly contributed to the nuclear disarmament effort in the USSR by collaborating with Sandia on an inspection trailer for USSR nuclear warheads.
In recognition of Martinez Custom Trailers' success, in 1984, President Ronald Reagan recognized Ted as New Mexico's Small Business Person of the Year.
Business was so successful that, in 1987, Martinez Custom Trailers evolved into a more expansive enterprise, MCT Industries, Inc. Ever eager to expand his federal client base, Ted won a major contract to produce a self-propelled diesel powered U.S. Air Force Maintenance Stand that was slated to be deployed worldwide to service the largest aircraft in the Air Force. With this contract, MCT was able to create even more New Mexican jobs, reaching a height of 240 dedicated employees.
In 1992, 28 years after he had taken a risk by leaving the ranch to enter the Job Corps training program, Ted was inducted into the Job Corps Hall of Fame to celebrate his exceptional career.
After the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001, and the ensuing overseas military involvements, MCT was quickly able to develop and build trailers to support these campaigns. To enable soldiers to rapidly extinguish a fire during convoy operations, the Army needed to field-test two different types of foam fire suppression systems to verify they could perform in combat. In less than four months, MCT designed, built, tested and deployed trailers to Iraq that accommodated both fire suppression systems. Program leaders informed MCT that in less than a week, these systems saved $1 million in Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected, MRAP, vehicles and more importantly, protected the lives of soldiers.
Ted and the Martinez family have always displayed a fierce commitment to the wellbeing of their employees. In 2003, MCT hosted President George W. Bush. Just before President Bush addressed 4,000 people and honored MCT as an exemplary small business, the family joined him in a roundtable discussion on the vital impact small businesses have on the U.S. economy. When President Bush asked Ted about the secret of his success, without missing a beat, Ted said ``my employees.''
The new millennium continued to bring blessings to the Martinez family with the birth of the third MCT generation when Diego Dylan Martinez was born on April 21, 2007. His brother Dyson Cruz Martinez quickly followed 22 months later on February 13, 2009.
Today, Bennie and Claudine carry on their parents' legacy, with Bennie leading the commercial division of MCT Industries and Claudine leading the government division.
MCT's commercial division provides the same support as the government division to its diverse client base which ranges from a local neighbor coming in for truck and trailer customization, to deploying truck fleets of state, local, and tribal governments. In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, in 2012, MCT installed over 500 solar panels on both the Commercial and Government plants.
MCT's successes have resulted in national recognition of its contribution to America's manufacturing base. In March 2013, Claudine accepted her appointment by the Secretary of Commerce to serve as one of 25 members of the Department of Commerce Manufacturing Council. The Council advises the Secretary of Commerce on ensuring regular communication between the federal government and the manufacturing sector, providing a forum for discussing and proposing solutions to industry-related problems, and ensuring that the United States remains the world's preeminent destination for investment in manufacturing.
To ensure he can continue to provide for MCT's team for years to come, Ted founded We The People, LLC, a real estate development company co-owned by the Martinez Family and MCT team members who choose to join. Four years ago, the Martinez family announced that they would provide $250,000 in capital to the employee shareholders of We The People, and continue making yearly contributions to the company.
In honor of the 40-year anniversary of MCT Industries, we congratulate the Martinez family and the MCT employees for their numerous and longstanding contributions to the state of New Mexico and the United States of America.
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