Sher Valenzuela, the Republican candidate for Lt. Governor in Delaware, has been granted one of the most coveted speaking assignments in American politics –a featured speaking role at her party’s national convention.
Valenzuela will address the Republican National Convention next Tuesday night in Tampa, FL. Valenzuela will share the stage with other convention speakers like the Republican candidate for President, Mitt Romney, his running mate, Paul Ryan, and Keynote Speaker Gov. Chris Christe (R-NJ).
“I am honored to be part of the Republican National Convention and to support our candidate for President, Mitt Romney. Our two campaigns share many of the same principles. We know that small business is the life-blood of our nation’s economy. The hard working entrepreneurs that found and grow those businesses should be celebrated, not beaten up on with partisan political rhetoric. I look forward to sharing our story at the convention,” Valenzuela said.
“Governor Romney and I both want to re-energize our economy by ending the tsunami of regulations that keeps crashing down on the heads of our would-be business owners. By cutting the red tape that is tying up business start-ups, we could free up millions of dollars sitting on the side-lines and overseas and bring jobs home,” Valenzuela said.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said, “We are thrilled to have Sher on our Convention schedule and excited to share her story with not only the people of Delaware, but also the entire country.”
Republicans and Democrats alike have called Sher’s story the epitome of entrepreneurship and the American Dream.
The 2012 Small Business Person of the Year in Delaware, Sher and her husband Eli operate First State Manufacturing in Milford, Delaware.
The company produces an array of products, ranging from protective padding for Major League Baseball umpires and seating for local restaurant chains like Grotto Pizza, to engine covers for U.S. armed forces aircraft and combat vests for the Israeli Army.
The company was started in the 1990’s in Sher’s garage with one sewing machine. The area was so small that fabric for big jobs had to be cut on the driveway. Today the company operates from a 70,000 square facility with over 70 employees. Success in growing a business, literally from her garage, confirms Sher’s managerial and problem-solving ability. Now, First State Manufacturing is actually winning work away from Chinese and Mexican manufacturers so that jobs which would otherwise go overseas are being brought to Delaware.
The mother of two special needs children, among Sher’s other credits is the founding of a public/private partnership between her company,
Delaware State University and the city of Milford to build an accelerator that will serve as a clearinghouse for starting and growing business in the state of Delaware. She is also a gubernatorial appointee to the state’s Workforce Investment Board and has served on the board of the economic development council for her hometown of Milford.
