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Meet Carolyn Annette Reed, a Guest of the First Lady at the State of the Union

January 17, 2015 at 8:00 AM ET by Tanya Somanader

Summary:

Carolyn Annette Reed is joining the First Lady as a guest at the 2015 State of the Union Address on January 20.

Carolyn Annette Reed is joining the First Lady as a guest at the 2015 State of the Union Address on January 20. Watch it live at 9 pm ET here: obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sotu

Carolyn Reed

Carolyn Annette Reed

If you’re sitting back and enjoying a sandwich at Silver Mine Subs shop in Denver, Colorado, you can thank Carolyn Reed for your meal. A former UPS delivery driver, Carolyn wanted to strike out on her own and start a business. “I had no business experience,” she wrote, “but I work hard and study hard.” So she opened up a very successful Silver Mine Sub shop, then another, and another with the help of a Small Business Administration Loan from the Recovery Act. They now own seven restaurants across Colorado, with dozens of employees. “It was a relief to be able to secure the SBA loan to open our other stores,” she wrote. “We are a perfect example of people who have benefitted from your efforts.”

Now earning a comfortable income, Carolyn is committed to ensuring that lower wage earners who drive the economy “and buy our products” get the support they need. This is why Carolyn gave her hourly employees a raise to $10.10. “We will be taken care of financially if the people who purchase our products can do so,” she wrote. “It’s trickle up, not trickle down!”

She did have one request of the President: Help us hire! “We have a large hiring poster hanging over our Cheyenne location,” she said, “and still cannot find enough delivery drivers!”

The State of the Union 2015: Everything You Need to Know: