[Page H1145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                      RECOGNIZING SWEETWATER SOUND

  (Mr. BANKS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to share one of Fort Wayne's 
great American success stories, Sweetwater Sound.
  Founder and CEO Chuck Surack's dream started over 40 years ago with a 
recording studio housed in a Volkswagen van. It has since evolved into 
one of the Nation's leading retailers of professional recording and 
music equipment.
  Madam Speaker, Sweetwater's total sales in 2018 were record breaking 
at $725 million. And just recently we found out that in 2019 it was 
another record year with sales of $805 million, up 11 percent from 
2018.
  The total sales only tell part of the success story, though. 
Sweetwater has recently hired 159 new employees and has given back to 
Hoosiers by providing middle school students with free instruments.
  Hoosiers are thankful for Sweetwater Sound's big contributions to 
northeast Indiana, and I look forward to watching them continue to 
succeed moving forward. In this record-setting economy, I look forward 
to seeing more American success stories just like this one.

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