HONORING DANNY REYNOLDS OF STEPHENSON'S OF ELKHART

On 2026-07-13, Representative Rudy Yakym III (R-IN-2) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING DANNY REYNOLDS OF STEPHENSON'S OF ELKHART" in the House.

HONORING DANNY REYNOLDS OF STEPHENSON'S OF ELKHART

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E674] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING DANNY REYNOLDS OF STEPHENSON'S OF ELKHART ______ HON. RUDY YAKYM III of indiana in the house of representatives Monday, July 13, 2026 Mr. YAKYM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Danny Reynolds of Stephenson's of Elkhart, who will be named the 2026 America's Retail Champion on July 15 at the NRF Retail Advocates Summit here in Washington, DC. Danny Reynolds is a name known to just about every family in Elkhart County. For decades, he has helped fit local residents for life's biggest moments, and he's done it with the kind of personal touch you only find on Main Street. The Stephenson's story goes back to 1931, when the store first opened as a small, appointment-only dress shop in downtown Elkhart. Today, nearly a century later, it has grown into a fixture spanning three buildings, still rooted in that same stretch of Main Street where it all began. Danny's own story with the business started young. His parents took over Stephenson's in 1964, and Danny was practically raised in the stockroom, learning the trade from the ground up as a teenager. I have to think that's also where he picked up his sense of style, which I can personally attest to, having picked up clothing from Stephenson's myself. After finishing college in 1994, he came back home and never left, building on his family's legacy one customer at a time for more than thirty years since. But Danny's impact reaches well beyond downtown Elkhart. He has become a leading voice for retailers across this industry in the halls of Congress, helping connect policymakers with the realities of Main Street. Mr. Speaker, small businesses like Stephenson's are the heartbeat of our communities and the backbone of our local economies. With 36.2 million small businesses across this country accounting for nearly half of all private-sector jobs, their impact reaches every corner of America, and Danny Reynolds is a shining example of what makes Main Street work. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Danny Reynolds on being named the 2026 America's Retail Champion, and in thanking him for his decades of service to Elkhart County and to Hoosiers across Indiana's 2nd District. ____________________