MEDIA ALERT: Congressman Veasey Invites Metroplex Latina Business Owner to State of the Union

***Media Availability Tuesday, January 12, 2016***

Washington, D.C. – Members of the press are invited to join Congressman Marc Veasey, TX-33, and Gloria Fuentes, a CD33 business owner, as they share their thoughts on how Congress can support small business owners and job growth in the DFW Metroplex.

Gloria Fuentes is one of the approximately 34,000 Hispanic business owners and 64,000 female business owners in Dallas County. After immigrating to Dallas from El Salvador, Gloria Fuentes began selling Salvadorian food outside of a local Dallas dance hall to supplement her income. Since then she has transformed her passion for cooking into a growing restaurant business and has tremendously expanded through a series of Small Business Administration loans. She owns a successful 15 restaurant franchise, Gloria's Latin Cuisine, across the state of Texas. Gloria continues to mentor other aspiring female and minority business owners in the DFW Metroplex and has been recognized as the Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year by Badmus Law Firm, a Dallas-based immigration law firm.

Congressman Marc Veasey represents Texas Congressional District 33, which contains roughly 386,708 businesses in Dallas and Tarrant Counties, approximately thirteen percent of whom are Hispanic owned and roughly twenty-nine percent are women-owned. Congressman Veasey continues to work to expand opportunities for women business owners and women in the workforce. In October 2015, Veasey hosted a Women's Conference to discuss the concerns of working mothers and female entrepreneurs and how the federal government can address the challenges of affordable childcare and the wage gap.

Media is invited to attend the meeting. Congressman Veasey and Gloria Fuentes will be available for interviews following the event. If you would like to attend the meeting or schedule a one-on-one interview with the Congressmen, please RSVP in advance.

WHO:
Congressman Marc Veasey, TX-33
Gloria Fuentes, Owner of Gloria's Latin Cuisine Restaurant

WHAT:
To discuss how to support aspiring small business owners, how to help them access the resources they need to start their businesses, and how to expand community outreach for minority and women business owners in the district

DATE:
Tuesday, January 12, 2015

TIME:
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET

LOCATION:
Cannon HOB 414

MEDIA:
To schedule interviews with Congressman Marc Veasey, Contact: Paloma Perez at 202-225-9897 or by email at Paloma.perez@mail.house.gov

For more information call 202-225-9897 or visit www.veasey.house.gov

###