U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez visited The Dwyer Group, parent of Glass Doctor, on Friday. While there, he toured the company's facilities and held a press conference.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez met Friday with employees of The Dwyer Group, the Waco, Texas parent of Glass Doctor, to discuss the benefits of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) during his visit to the city.

Gutierrez told employees that the trade agreement would help create jobs in America by eliminating trade tariffs placed on U.S. products and open new markets for U.S. exporters.

Robert Tunmire, president of Glass Doctor, told GlassBYTEs™ that through its various businesses, The Dwyer Group does a lot of business in Central and Latin America, which is one of the reasons why the Secretary had accepted an invitation to speak at their headquarters. He toured the company's campus compound and held a news conference at the site during his afternoon visit.

"Trade opens the door to prosperity, a higher standard of living and greater opportunities for working families in Waco,"said Gutierrez. "CAFTA will be good for Texas. It will be good for Central America. And it will be great news for American workers."

Small and medium-sized businesses such as The Dwyer Group and its employees will benefit from CAFTA-DR, the Department of Commerce says. In 2002, these businesses were responsible for an estimated 37 percent of the value of U.S. merchandise exports to the CAFTA region. A total of 97 percent of U.S. exporters are small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Dwyer Group Inc. is a holding company of six franchise businesses, each selling and supporting a different franchise under the following service marks: Aire Serv® Heating and Air Conditioning, Glass Doctor®, Mr. Appliance®, Mr. Electric®, Mr. Rooter® (Drain Doctor® in the UK), and Rainbow International® Restoration and Cleaning. Collectively, these franchise companies support independent franchisees who offer customers a broad base of residential and commercial services. The Dwyer Group also operates Harmon Solutions Group, a third party administrator for the insurance community, and Portland Glass, a chain of retail glass shops. Dwyer also provides services to an associate company, DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen by Worldwide®, an international remodeling franchise.

Internationally, Dwyer and DreamMaker operate their franchise concepts primarily through master licensees, who currently support franchisees in 21 foreign countries.