[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 8931] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]RECOGNITION OF ASHAWAY LINE AND TWINE MANUFACTURING COMPANY--175 YEARS OF SUCCESSFUL SMALL BUSINESS ______ HON. ROBERT A. WEYGAND of rhode island in the house of representatives Thursday, May 6, 1999 Mr. WEYGAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Ashaway Line and Twine Manufacturing Company, a family-owned firm in Ashaway, Rhode Island, which celebrates 175 years of successful small business this June. Six generations of the Crandall family have owned and operated this company since its inception in 1824 at its Laurel Street headquarters in Ashaway. Today, it is one of the oldest family-owned companies in the United States and exemplifies this country's proud tradition of manufacturing and innovation. Over the course of the last 175 years, the company has gone from a local fishing line supplier to a global seller of medical threads, tennis strings, and other specialized lines. In recent times, we have all heard many disheartening stories of manufacturing plant closings in communities around the country. Some of these firms were unable to compete in the new global marketplace; luckily for the citizens of Ashaway and the Line and Twine's customers, the Crandall family has always been able to adapt to the changing times and remain open for business. Its products are now sold to sixty countries, and fifty percent of its business is currently done outside the United States. The company has discovered new and creative uses for its products, including special strings for NASA to sew up its space suits, and movie props for Hollywood. Because of this resourcefulness and innovative spirit, eighty-seven employees continue to work today at the Ashaway Line and Twine Manufacturing Company plant, operating the 3,000 machines that braid lines, and dyeing and packaging the strings. The Crandall family and the Ashaway Line and Twin Manufacturing Company are planning an anniversary celebration for June of this year to recognize and thank their many customers and dedicated employees. I would like to take this opportunity to extend the same gratitude to the family and the firm for their loyalty to the community of Ashaway and the state of Rhode Island. Please join with me in the recognition of one of the oldest family-owned manufacturing firms in this country, and let us always remember the incalculable contribution such companies have made and continue to make to this great nation. ____________________