[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 17883-17884] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]RECOGNIZING JIM HUNT ______ HON. SAM GRAVES of missouri in the house of representatives Tuesday, September 12, 2006 Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Jim Hunt of Maysville, Missouri. Mr. Hunt will soon be retiring as Director of the Small Business Development Center at Northwest Missouri State University. As the Director of the Small Business Development Center, Mr. Hunt has provided guidance and valuable experiences to current and prospective small business owners throughout the northwest Missouri region. He has offered his experience and guidance to the enterprising citizens of my district for many years, as those entrepreneurs sought advice on the start-up, expansion, sale, and marketing of their business. His job is especially important, as the collection of small business owners are responsible for growth and sustainability of the entire region. Before joining the University in 1999, Mr. Hunt was managing the sales and marketing [[Page 17884]] efforts in northwest Missouri for a large agri-business firm. He has been around the agriculture industry most of his life, starting with his family farming operation. Mr. Hunt also has a degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and taught vocational agriculture. These varied experiences have all made for a solid background in advising the small businesses and agriculture roots of northwest Missouri. Mr. Hunt's efforts became very instrumental in the rebirth of the economy in northwest Missouri. He has worked tirelessly to increase the quality of education and participation of many of the small businesses in the northwest Missouri region. One of his lasting achievements will be the Northern Missouri Business Conference, a joint venture between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Northwest Missouri State University and many local businesses keeping open the dialogue and opportunities for continued growth in this region. Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in recognizing Jim Hunt. His role in developing and assisting the small businesses in northwest Missouri will be difficult to replace. I commend his record of service and accomplishment to the entire region over the years and I am honored to represent him in the United States Congress. ____________________