Before entering public office, Representative Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who was shot and critically wounded last Saturday, was involved with her family’s tire and automotive service business.
She took over El Campo Tire Inc. in Tucson, Ariz., in 1997 and was its president and CEO until she sold the business to the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in 2000. The company was started in 1949 by her grandfather, Gif Giffords.
Rep. Giffords was known as a voice for small businesses in Washington. Roy Littlefield, the Tire Industry Association’s executive vice president, has issued this comment on the recent events:
“On behalf of the Tire Industry Association and its members, I want to express our deep sadness over the shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords, her staff, and her constituents in Tucson this past Saturday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ms. Giffords and the other victims struggling to recover, as well as to their family and friends. We also extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of those who were killed in this horrific, senseless act of violence.
“Both (Director of Government and Business Relations) Paul Fiore and I have had the pleasure of interacting with Ms. Giffords on various legislative issues. She ran her family’s tire business before entering politics, and this experience gives her a keen insight on the issues facing our industry. Hopefully, she and the other victims currently being treated will make a speedy recovery, and I am looking forward to working with her again soon.”
Giffords remains in critical condition at Tucson's University Medical Center.
