H.R. No. 395

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Helen Smith of Baytown is an innovative entrepreneur
	and an inspiring role model for women; and
	WHEREAS, Mrs. Smith's success story began in the early 1980s,
	when she was a single mother of three and had recently lost her job;
	struggling to provide for her children, she took a risk and created
	a professional opportunity for herself; because she had always
	liked to bake, she approached five local restaurants, asking them
	to include her homemade pies on their menus until she could find
	employment; soon thereafter, Mrs. Smith was overwhelmed by
	enthusiastic pastry lovers who wanted to place their own personal
	orders for her pies; and
	WHEREAS, To keep up with the demand, Mrs. Smith purchased a
	second oven at a garage sale and began waking at 3 a.m. to bake pies,
	which she then carefully packed into her car to deliver around town;
	though she temporarily slowed down when she took on a position as a
	secretary for Texaco for four years, she never lost sight of her
	culinary and entrepreneurial aspirations; and
	WHEREAS, With the support of her family and friends and
	advice from the Lee College Small Business Assistance Center,
	Mrs. Smith applied for a small business loan; when her application
	was approved, she rented and renovated a small building, and on the
	opening day of Helen's Kitchen, a line of customers gathered
	outside the front door; sales surpassed more than $100,000 that
	first year, and soon Baytown's Pie Lady, as she was newly nicknamed,
	moved into a larger space and hired employees to keep up with the
	demand for as many as 200 pies a day; and
	WHEREAS, Mrs. Smith made another savvy business decision
	when she approached area grocery stores to see if they were
	interested in selling her frozen, cholesterol-free pie shells; they
	agreed, and shortly after, her homemade crusts graced the shelves
	of small stores throughout Baytown, and then larger chain grocery
	stores across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi; her pie shells can
	now be found at Sam's Clubs across the country; and
	WHEREAS, In 1988, the United States Small Business
	Administration named Mrs. Smith the "Woman Advocate of the Year" in
	Texas; as a result of this honor, she began receiving requests to
	visit seminars across the country; in the fall of 2011, she gained
	national attention when she was invited to appear on Good Morning
	America to share a new pie she invented; inspired by President
	Obama's two favorite kinds of pie, sweet potato and pecan,
	Mrs. Smith combined the two into one; the then 77-year-old, who had
	never been to New York before, was featured in a segment with
	renowned chef Emeril Lagasse; and
	WHEREAS, Helen Smith's determination and creativity proved
	to be a winning recipe for a flourishing business, and she may take
	justifiable pride in the sweet success she has achieved; now,
	therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
	Legislature hereby recognize Helen Smith for her dedication to
	preserving the tradition of making pies from scratch and extend to
	her sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for Mrs. Smith as an expression of high regard by the Texas
	House of Representatives.
	Smith
	Straus M. Gonzalez of El Paso Oliveira
	Allen N. Gonzalez of El Paso Orr
	Alonzo Gooden Otto
	Alvarado Guerra Paddie
	Anchia Guillen Parker
	Anderson Gutierrez Patrick
	Ashby Harless Perez
	Aycock Harper-Brown Perry
	Bell Hernandez Luna Phillips
	Bohac Herrero Pickett
	Bonnen of Brazoria Hilderbran Pitts
	Bonnen of Galveston Howard Price
	Branch Huberty Raney
	Burkett Hughes Ratliff
	Burnam Hunter Raymond
	Button Isaac Reynolds
	Callegari Johnson Riddle
	Canales Kacal Ritter
	Capriglione Keffer Rodriguez of Bexar
	Carter King of Hemphill Rodriguez of Travis
	Clardy King of Parker Rose
	Coleman King of Taylor Sanford
	Collier King of Zavala Schaefer
	Cook Kleinschmidt Sheets
	Cortez Klick Sheffield of Bell
	Craddick Kolkhorst Sheffield of Coryell
	Creighton Krause Simmons
	Crownover Kuempel Simpson
	Dale Larson Smith
	Darby Laubenberg Smithee
	Davis of Dallas Lavender Springer
	J. Davis of Harris Leach Stephenson
	S. Davis of Harris Lewis Stickland
	Deshotel Longoria Strama
	Dukes Lozano Taylor
	Dutton Lucio III Thompson of Brazoria
	Eiland Marquez Thompson of Harris
	Elkins Martinez Toth
	Fallon Martinez Fischer Turner of Collin
	Farias McClendon Turner of Harris
	Farney Menendez Turner of Tarrant
	Farrar Miles Villalba
	Fletcher Miller of Comal Villarreal
	Flynn Miller of Fort Bend Vo
	Frank Moody Walle
	Frullo Morrison White
	Geren Munoz, Jr. Workman
	Giddings Murphy Wu
	Goldman Naishtat Zedler
	Gonzales Nevarez Zerwas
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 395 was adopted by the House on February
	14, 2013, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House