NFIB

NFIB Member James S. Herr Inducted Into Hall of Fame
05/21/2004

Today, the nation's largest small-business group, NFIB, congratulated Jim Herr of Herr's Foods Inc., who will be inducted into the U.S. Small Business Administration's Hall of Fame tonight.

"A lot people can write a business plan. But it takes a special combination of intellect, integrity, leadership and the willingness to take a risk to be successful in small business," said NFIB President and CEO Jack Faris. "Jim Herr found a formula for success, and he did so through hard work and by really leading and inspiring the men and women who work for and with him every day. He brought that same entrepreneurial spirit to NFIB as our chairman, and I congratulate him, his wife Mim and his entire family as they celebrate this very special milestone."

Herr, who is the past national chairman of NFIB, began Herr's Foods in 1946 when James Stauffer Herr bought a small potato chip company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for $1,750. From meager beginnings and through many challenges including fires, the energy crisis of the 1970s and increased environmental regulation, Herr's Foods survived and prospered. Today, Herr's products are enjoyed in 10 states throughout the Northeast. Herr's distribution has grown from its origin in Lancaster, Pa., to a manufacturing and distribution network throughout 10 states with two manufacturing facilities, over 30 distribution centers, over 500 sales routes and more than 30,000 "ship to" customers.

As demand for Herr's products grew, so too did the size of the family business. In 1947 the business moved into a vacated tobacco shed on the Herr family farm. Forty years later, after several expansions to accommodate demand for Herr's products, Herr's Foods built additional warehouse space, which brought the total plant area to 212,000 square feet. And in 1989 a 15,000-square-foot Visitors Center was constructed adjacent to the plant. Today, more than 1,000 men and women are employed by Herr's Foods.

The SBA is no stranger to the innovative, dedicated and entrepreneurial spirit of Jim Herr. Having received SBA assistance over thirty years ago, Mr. Herr was named Pennsylvania's Small Businessman of the Year in 1969. Tonight, 35 years later, Herr will be honored and inducted into the SBA Hall of Fame during ceremonies held in Orlando, Fla.

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The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is the nation's largest small-business advocacy group. A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 1943, NFIB represents the consensus views of its 600,000 members in Washington and all 50 state capitals. NFIB's 2004 National Small Business Summit will be held June 16-18 in Washington, D.C. More information is available online at www.NFIB.com/summit.

CONTACT: Michelle Dimarob, 202.554.9000