[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 98 (Friday, July 11, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H5171]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING APPRECIATION TO NORM THOMPSON, ITS EMPLOYEES AND ASSOCIATES, 
 FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION AND EFFORTS TO HELP WEST VIRGINIA FLOOD VICTIMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from West Virginia [Mr. Wise] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, during today's long and sometimes contentious 
debate we often look for good news. I am happy to say that as the 
legislative day draws to a close, I have good news to report to the 
House of Representatives, good news and also some thanks to offer; 
thanks to the company Norm Thompson, a well-known national mail order 
business whose corporate distribution center is in Kearneysville, WV, 
relatively close to Washington, DC, about an hour and a half's drive 
from here in Jefferson County, because week after next Norm Thompson is 
going to make an $800,000 donation to a West Virginia charity to assist 
flood victims.
  That $800,000 donation is going to take the form of 44,000 units of 
men and women's clothing and footwear to be distributed to flood 
victims throughout our State of West Virginia. Norm Thompson will 
partner in this endeavor with Roadway Express, and they will transport 
the merchandise free of charge from the Norm Thompson distribution 
center in Kearneysville to Charleston, WV, on the other side of the 
State, for distribution by the West Virginia Commission for National 
and Community Services.
  Mr. Speaker, this is an extremely important gift and effort by Norm 
Thompson. Five times within the last year and a half West Virginia has 
been torn by major floods. I have one county in my congressional 
district, Randolph County, that has four times in the last year and a 
half been declared a Federal disaster area. We had four floods in 1996, 
and then again in February of 1997 a flood that tore through 16 
counties, including many of our most populous areas.
  So this effort by Norm Thompson and the hundreds of men and women who 
work for this corporation, headquartered in Oregon, but with its major 
warehouse distribution center in West Virginia, this effort will assist 
thousands of West Virginians as they recover and begin to rebuild their 
lives.
  I think it is important to note that the chairman, John Emrick of 
Norm Thompson, said the donation is the first of many planned, noting 
the number of floods that West Virginia had had, and also saying, it is 
important to match our donation to the immediate needs of helping flood 
victims get back on their feet again. They are donating this to the 
West Virginia Commission for National and Community Services, a 
nonprofit corporation. They will in turn distribute this across the 
State.
  Norm Thompson is a relatively new member of our corporate community 
in West Virginia, a very valued one, but already employing hundreds of 
West Virginians. I know, having met personally with the CEO and the 
other top management, as well as many of the employees, I know how 
excited we are in West Virginia to have them as a corporate citizen.
  I want to thank Norm Thompson and its many employees and associates 
for making this gift possible, and for their obvious commitment to West 
Virginia; not only for doing good business, but for being a good 
citizen, corporate and otherwise. I know that thousands of West 
Virginians as well thank Norm Thompson for this extremely generous 
gesture. We look forward to working with them in the future.
  We thank them for recognizing needs that are present and we are 
excited about the opportunities that Norm Thompson offers, not only, as 
I say, in business, but also in being a member of our corporate 
community.

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