Touring Small Businesses in the District

When I’m not in Washington, I like to make sure I’m up-to-date on what’s going on in the area. One of the ways I do that is by visiting and touring businesses. I spent the early part of the week in the northern part of the district then came back to Corpus Christi to do a small business tour organized by the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce.

First, I stopped by CBS Rental and Supply, which is celebrating 50 years in the construction supply and equipment rental industry. Despite suffering through city street construction in front of its facility on Navigation Blvd., CBS is expanding to a new location next year. Next, I toured Andrews Distributing, one of the nation’s most respected beer distributors, which carries more than 700 varieties of beer and serves 38 Texas counties. I was impressed by the length of service of many of its employees, its innovative use of technology to ensure the company gets orders right, and its new high ceiling expanded warehouse. After Andrews, I toured the Thrive Memory Center, a memory care and Alzheimer care community where specialists help seniors with memory conditions live their lives to the fullest. To end the tour, I visited Grub Burger Bar, a Texas-born burger company started in College Station that serves great food made from scratch.

It was great to talk to owners and employees about a variety of issues, including the economy, area growth, healthcare, the DOL Overtime Rule, minimum wage, tax reform and more.