DARTMOUTH — On March 2, Congressman William Keating visited Dartmouth to meet with small business owners from various fields. Congressman Keating, whose district will include parts of Fall River, New Bedford and Dartmouth, Plymouth County and the Cape and Islands, was accompanied on his tour by State Representative Christopher Markey (D-Dartmouth).

To start the day off, Congressman Keating and Rep. Markey celebrated the birthday of Dr. Seuss by reading to children at the Potter School in Dartmouth. After that, they visited Quansett Nurseries and spoke with local farmers about federal programs that support agriculture and the great need for further assistance to stimulate local food production and the local economy.

Fred Dabney, owner of the Quansett Nurseries, also highlighted his facility that grows "microgreens", new high yield and sustainable crops grown indoors. The facility's construction was supported by agricultural capital improvement grants that were issued by the federal government.

At the next stop on his tour, Rep. Keating and Rep. Markey spoke with the owners of Dartmouth Building Supply to hear about their experiences doing business during the recession of the last few years. Dartmouth Building Supply founder Joe Delgado explained how he invested in his infrastructure in 2005 to deal with a greater volume of business,but was then challenged by the downturn in the building industry and the subsequent economic recession.

Mr. Delgado explained his methods of survival, including diversification of his business, catering to a wider geographical area, and exploring methods to save money and cut costs such as installing solar panels on his new warehouse.

Next, Congressman Keating and Rep. Markey spoke with a group of local doctors from throughout the South Coast area, who discussed the challenges of practicing medicine in the 21st century, and specifically in the South Coast area. The conversation covered a spectrum of issues that need to be addressed, including healthcare payment reform, Medicare and Medicaid, end-of-life care, and the importance of preventative medicine and education to deal with the growing obesity epidemic and other maladies caused by lifestyle or environment.

The stop in Dartmouth represents one of many visits to the South Coast that Congressman Keating has made in the past several months, representing a true commitment to the South Coast and Dartmouth, according to Rep Markey,

"Congressman Keating has shown himself to be deeply concerned for the people of Dartmouth, New Bedford, and the whole South Coast. It's always great when a sitting Congressman comes to visit, and its especially good when that sitting Congressman takes a real sincere interest in what's happening on the local level," Rep. Markey said.

South Coast Today

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