[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 95 (Thursday, July 16, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S8420]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF UNUM CORPORATION

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a great Maine 
company that this week celebrates a remarkable milestone--its 150th 
Anniversary.
  It was thirteen years before the Civil War began that the UNUM 
Corporation of Maine was founded as the Union Mutual Life Insurance 
Corporation. Since that time, UNUM has grown to employ more than 7,400 
employees worldwide, and almost 3,800 in their World Headquarters in 
Portland alone--and has become an industry leader in the area of long 
term care disability insurance.
  We in Maine are proud of UNUM's growth and longevity--outstanding 
achievements that don't happen by accident. But what is even more 
impressive is UNUM's commitment to providing an outstanding environment 
for its employees. Indeed, UNUM has been recognized by Fortune magazine 
as one of the nation's top 100 employers, and named as a leading 
``family-friendly'' company by both Business Week and Working Mother 
magazines--evidence that UNUM's vision and innovation is garnering 
accolades throughout the professional world. In fact, UNUM has been on 
Working Mother's list a remarkable nine years in a row.
  From the standpoint of one who has consistently fought in Congress 
for opening up possibilities and opportunities for women in business, 
as well as family-friendly legislation such as the Family and Medical 
Leave Act, I appreciate UNUM's commitment to fostering a work 
environment that recognizes that the values of hard work and family are 
not mutually exclusive. Indeed, UNUM's philosophy shows that responding 
to employees' concerns is not only the right thing to do, it's also 
sound business practice.
  In particular, I applaud UNUM's commitment to providing safe, 
affordable child care options to employees. UNUM was one of the first 
companies in America to establish an on-site child care center, and 
UNUM subsidizes child care costs for qualified employees. Hopefully, 
this will blaze a trail that others in corporate America will be eager 
to follow.
  UNUM also exemplifies the principles of corporate citizenship, and 
the corporation as a partner in the community. UNUM has consistently 
been a responsible and integral member of the Portland community--where 
most of their employees live--and UNUM will be celebrating their 
anniversary in part with a day-long community service effort involving 
thousands of employees and hundreds of projects. I commend UNUM's 
dedication to the community and to the use of corporate resources for 
the betterment of others, and believe that their model is one which 
should be replicated throughout the country.
  This tone of corporate responsibility is set at the top, and UNUM 
President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Orr deserves much of the 
credit. A recent article in Portland's Maine Sunday Telegram elaborated 
on Jim's many talents, saying that, ``he preaches a gospel of shared 
goals, clear vision and intense focus''. A member of UNUM's board of 
directors stated, simply, ``The guy knows how to lead''. Obviously, he 
has used that skill to build a company that not only knows how to 
satisfy the bottom line, but to set an example for others to follow.
  Mr. President, in Maine we like to speak of ``the way life should 
be'', and we cherish a quality of life that is second to none. UNUM 
exemplifies ``the way business should be'' and for 150 years--that's 
two-thirds of this nation's existence--it has been contributing to the 
effort to build an even better Maine in which to live, work, and raise 
a family. Again, I congratulate the leadership of UNNM, and the 
outstanding employees who have guaranteed the company's success over 
the past 150 years.

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