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[Pages S1759-S1760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
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RECOGNIZING MIAMI TOUR COMPANY
Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, as chairman of the Committee on
Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize a small
business that exemplifies the unique American entrepreneurial spirit.
Today, it is my distinct pleasure to name Miami Tour Company as the
Senate Small Business of the Week.
Founded in 2002, Miami Tour Company has quickly become a premier
provider of tours and activities in south Florida. Husband and wife,
Gus and Michelle Moore, founded the company based on the principle of
providing the best customer experience possible. Gus and Michelle met
while working at a restaurant and bonded over a shared passion for
making sure that visitors to their home State have a great experience.
After serving thousands of hungry patrons and learning how to make
visitors to Miami as happy as possible, Gus and Michelle decided to
start a business. With their combined knowledge of the area and a knack
for anticipating their customer's needs, a tour company was the perfect
fit. With their savings from working at the restaurant, the couple
[[Page S1760]]
bought a tour bus, and the Miami Tour Company was born.
Seventeen years later, Miami Tour Company has grown to transport
35,000 passengers annually and have served more than 600,000 clientele.
Their fleet now includes motorcoaches, mini-buses, vans, SUVs, shuttle
buses, and boat tours. The company's local guides run day tours through
Key West, Orlando, the Everglades, and Miami Beach. They have also
instituted a GPS-guided system in their tour buses that triggers high-
quality digital voice recordings at locations of interest, making them
the only tour company in Florida to offer this technology. To expand
their customer base, the company has begun offering the recordings in
Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, French, Italian, German, and Russian,
allowing visitors from around the world to enjoy the attractions that
Florida has to offer.
On top of providing enjoyable and informative tours, Miami Tour
Company gives back to their community. They guide local elementary
students on free historical bus tours throughout Miami and offer
students free eco-tourism trips to the Everglades. They also give back
to their community by providing complimentary travel charters for
activities for the children and families of Sophia's Hope. In addition,
they donate portions of their proceeds to the Miami Beach Holocaust
Memorial and the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens. Miami Tour Company has
been a true small business success story. Their dedication to
hospitality has been recognized with an A-plus rating from the Better
Business Bureau and a Certificate of Excellence from online reviewers.
Gus and Michelle's commitment to an exceptional customer experience
represents the standard of hospitality with which Florida small
businesses are known for. Companies like Miami Tour Company are one of
the many reasons that visitors enjoy south Florida and keep coming
back. I would like to congratulate Gus, Michelle, and all of the
employees at Miami Tour Company for being named the Senate Small
Business of the Week. I wish them good luck and look forward to
watching their continued growth and success.
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