H.R. No. 731
R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to honor
1-2 El Paso businessman Heliodoro "Lio" Valadez on being one of 10
1-3 finalists for the title of National Small Business Person of the
1-4 Year awarded by the Small Business Administration; and
1-5 WHEREAS, Mr. Valadez is the owner of the prosperous Best Buy
1-6 Tortilla Factory in El Paso and has been named Small Business
1-7 Person of the Year for the five-state region consisting of Texas,
1-8 New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas by the Small Business
1-9 Administration, which is the nation's largest financial supporter
1-10 of small businesses; and
1-11 WHEREAS, This enterprising businessman, who received only an
1-12 elementary school education, got his start in 1972 after the
1-13 restaurant where he was working as a short-order cook closed,
1-14 leaving him without steady employment and with a wife and nine
1-15 children to support; and
1-16 WHEREAS, Unable to find work, he began selling his family's
1-17 delicious homemade flour tortillas door-to-door, quickly gaining
1-18 legions of satisfied customers; and
1-19 WHEREAS, With the help of an $18,000 loan from the Small
1-20 Business Administration and a tortilla press that he invented with
1-21 fellow tortilla manufacturer Tony Perez, he began producing the
1-22 popular and versatile food item and within three months was making
1-23 600 dozen tortillas a day; and
1-24 WHEREAS, Mr. Valadez realized an important milestone in 1976
2-1 with the construction of a 12,000-square-foot tortilla factory on
2-2 El Paso Drive that was joined in 1978 by a restaurant that remains
2-3 a popular gathering place 15 years later; and
2-4 WHEREAS, A keen businessman, Mr. Valadez reinvested profits
2-5 in the company as Best Buy tortillas became increasingly popular,
2-6 and he expanded the factory and modified equipment to ensure that
2-7 the enterprise would continue to flourish and meet the rising
2-8 demand for this tasty staple of Southwestern cuisine; and
2-9 WHEREAS, Today this talented entrepreneur presides over a
2-10 tortilla empire that has grown from producing several hundred
2-11 tortillas a day to more than one million a day that bear on their
2-12 package the familiar logo of a man in a yellow sombrero; in
2-13 addition, the company produces more than eight tons of tostada
2-14 chips daily; and
2-15 WHEREAS, Currently, Mr. Valadez distributes his product in
2-16 cities through the Southwest, producing the tortillas in a
2-17 32,000-square-foot factory on Pendale Road that employs 70 people,
2-18 including five of the Valadez children; the entrepreneur attributes
2-19 much of his good fortune to the dedication of his employees and
2-20 adheres to his personal philosophy that their happiness is integral
2-21 to the company's success; and
2-22 WHEREAS, Throughout his remarkable career, Mr. Valadez has
2-23 received the loving support of his wife, Anita, and their nine
2-24 children, who have contributed to and shared in the family
2-25 enterprise; much as Best Buy has prospered, so has the Valadez
2-26 family, which has grown to include 25 grandchildren; and
2-27 WHEREAS, Characterized by his many friends, coworkers, and
3-1 family members as an energetic man of great vision and initiative,
3-2 Heliodoro "Lio" Valadez has significantly contributed to the
3-3 economy of his community and our state by bringing tortillas to
3-4 homes throughout the Southwest, and in the process he has realized
3-5 the American dream; an inspiration to the members of his community
3-6 and to small businessmen and women everywhere, he is indeed
3-7 deserving of special legislative recognition on the occasion of his
3-8 latest accomplishment; now, therefore, be it
3-9 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas
3-10 Legislature hereby congratulate Heliodoro "Lio" Valadez on being
3-11 nominated for the title of National Small Business Person of the
3-12 Year; and, be it further
3-13 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-14 prepared for Mr. Valadez as an expression of high regard by the
3-15 Texas House of Representatives.
3-16 prepared for Mr. Valadez as an expression of high regard by the
3-17 Texas House of Representatives.
3-18 Moreno
3-19 H.R. No. 731
3-20 _______________________________
3-21 Speaker of the House
3-22 I certify that H.R. No. 731 was adopted by the House on May
3-23 28, 1993, by a non-record vote.
3-24 _______________________________
3-25 Chief Clerk of the House