Rifkin, Weiner, Livingston, Levitan & Silver, LLC Congratulates Our Client M. Luis Construction on President Obama's Visit

President Barack Obama Visits M. Luis Construction
Points to M. Luis Construction as Example of American Dream

ROCKVILLE, MD, OCTOBER 3, 2013 — President Barack Obama spoke to a gathering of the press, employees and guests of M. Luis Construction today at their Rockville, Maryland asphalt manufacturing plant. With the plant as a backdrop, he used the public forum to pressure House Republicans to end the government shutdown, while highlighting the role of businesses like M. Luis in the economy's recovery over the past three years.

"We've added 7.5 million more jobs, and more small businesses have gotten loans to grow and hire with help of the Small Business Loan Act I signed three years ago. That program is part of what allowed M. Luis to grow. We've made steady progress and we can't afford to threaten that progress right now with a government shutdown," the President said.

M. Luis's plant produces up to 300 tons of asphalt per hour, while the construction division has laid over 750,000 tons of asphalt over the last three years.

"Because the majority of our work is publicly funded, the federal government shutdown will significantly — and quickly — impact our ability to keep our plant operating, our crews working, and our vehicles running," said Cidalia Luis-Akbar, M. Luis president.

The President noted that M. Luis and government subcontractors like it across the country are worried their work will stop and are unsure of how the shutdown will impact the economy. One immediate effect is the inability to get Small Business Administration loans processed, a significant economic catalyst. Its non essential workers have been furloughed due to the economic shutdown.

"The SBA gives billions of dollars in loans to small businesses across the country, but right now they can't be processed because there's no one there," he said.

M. Luis was the beneficiary of one of those loans. In 2010 they were awarded a $2.5 million Maryland Industrial Development Financing Authority (MIDFA) loan guarantee made possible by the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI).

"The loan guarantee, and Eagle Bank, enabled us to continue to expand operations and integrate the previously construction-focused company with asphalt and aggregate manufacturing," said Natalia Luis, M. Luis vice president.

The President called on Congress not to delay action, noting that the longer the shutdown goes on, the more businesses and the economy will be hurt. The solution, he said, is to allow a simple up or down vote on the bill. "Everyone could vote their conscience, it will pass, I will sign it, and then we can get back to the business of helping the American people."

Having toured the plant and learning more of the company's beginnings, the President held M. Luis up as an example of the American dream and of knowing that success depends on working together. "This is what America is all about. If you work hard, you put in the time, you pass on a better life to your children."

About M. Luis Construction Co. Inc.
M. Luis is a Maryland-based, woman and minority-owned multi-generational Asphalt Manufacturer and Construction Services company that serves as an economic engine for the regional economy. They have successfully manufactured hundreds of thousands of tons of quality asphalt and paved thousands of lane miles of roads and highways, generating over $60 million in annual revenue and employing 200 people. Manuel and Albertina Luis founded the M. Luis Construction Co. in 1985 after emigrating from Portugal to the U.S. Company assets then were a truck and a wheelbarrow. Sisters Cidalia and Natalia assumed company ownership in 2008, but their parents remain active in the company and all four still discuss major decisions, according to the sisters.

About Rifkin, Weiner, Livingston, Levitan & Silver LLC
Effective July 1, 2013, Maryland attorneys Arnold M. Weiner and Alan M. Rifkin merged their legal practices to become Rifkin, Weiner, Livingston, Levitan & Silver LLC. The firm's thirty attorneys work in offices in Baltimore, Annapolis, Bethesda and Upper Marlboro. Partner and counsel for M. Luis Construction, Scott A. Livingston Esq. is the author of "Contracting with the State of Maryland" as well as many legal articles and a monthly newsletter on the state's competitive bidding statutes.