[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 21, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11175-S11176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO SHERMAN HENDERSON

 Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
fine businessman, family man and all-around great Kentuckian, Sherman 
Henderson.
  Sherm is a man who exudes the kind of enthusiasm and spunk everybody 
wants to possess. He has a genuine zest for life. Sherm's energy has 
helped him found and run one of the countries top 20 fastest-growing 
private companies, UniDial Communications, Inc. Sherm founded UniDial 
just six years ago with six employees and, in that short time, has 
turned UniDial into a 600-employee operation and an unbelievable 
success story.
  Some of the most successful businessmen become great because they see 
an untapped market and make it theirs--and that is what Sherm has done 
with the communications industry in UniDial. Intuitively picking up on 
emerging opportunities in the communications field after the telephone 
industry was deregulated, Sherm dove into the business head first. He 
started by investing in other telecommunications companies, and then 
founded the now-booming UniDial in 1993.
  As well as being a great businessman, Sherm has always been a good 
friend and family man. He boasts a terrific wife, two wonderful 
children, and two (soon-to-be-three) much-doted-upon grandchildren. 
Sherm, on behalf of my colleagues and myself, I express my heartfelt 
admiration for your accomplishments, congratulate you on your success, 
and wish you the best in your future endeavors. Thank you for creating 
hundreds of jobs for your fellow Kentuckians, and for making such a 
significant contribution to our state's economies and communities.
  Mr. President, I ask that a copy of an article that ran in the 
Louisville

[[Page S11176]]

Voice-Tribune on August 25, 1999, be printed in the Record following my 
remarks.
  The article follows.

                          Making a Big Splash

                          (By Susan McDonald)

       Sherman Henderson says a lot of people have trouble 
     understanding what he does for a living, but he must do it 
     pretty well.
       UniDial Communications Inc., the company he founded with 
     half a dozen employees only six years ago, is now among the 
     20 fastest-growing private companies in the country, 
     according to Inc. magazine. That's not bad for a company 
     Henderson conceived over breakfast one August morning at a 
     local Denny's restaurant.
       UniDial is now poised for still more growth. The company, 
     which built its business primarily as a reseller of long-
     distance telephone service and other communications products, 
     is expanding to meet the growing demand for technology, 
     Henderson said. UniDial recently announced plans to build its 
     own nationwide telecommunications network, called xios, to 
     offer integrated data, voice, Internet and other telecom 
     services. Its new 75,000-square-foot building at Eastpoint 
     Business Center will soon be followed by more new facilities.
       But although UniDial has become a familiar name, its 
     business remains a mystery to many, Henderson said.
       ``It's hard for people to understand what we do,'' he said. 
     ``We're a communications company. We communicate, and we have 
     all kinds of vehicles to do it with, whether it's a fax 
     machine, a voice over a hard line, data transmission, 
     videoconferencing, conference calls, or whatever.''


                          Embracing technology

       Henderson and Unidial have capitalized on people's hunger 
     for more communication and information, he said. Although 
     Americans are inundated with mail, voice messages, and e-
     mail, they want more, said Henderson who can quote a wealth 
     of facts, figures and statistics about the fast pace of 
     technology and the factors that drive it.
       Still, Henderson, who is in his 50s, said it's difficult 
     for members of his generation to keep up with the quick pace 
     of technological advancements.
       ``My generation has two problems,'' he said. ``We're not 
     educated in the field of technology because we didn't grow up 
     with it. The second strike against our generation is our 
     habits. We don't embrace technology because we all have gray 
     hair. To keep up is tremendously tough, even for me, and I'm 
     in the business.''
       Henderson does keep up, though, making extensive use of the 
     Internet to conduct business, make travel arrangements, shop 
     and more.
       ``I do a lot of fun things, like seeing where the Rolling 
     Stones are playing next, or where is Elton John playing, or 
     get information about golf courses,'' he said.


                       from diapers to high tech

       Henderson's experience in the telecommunications industry 
     isn't much older than UniDial itself. Before starting the 
     company, his varied business experience included real estate 
     development, sales and marketing, and a stint at Proctor & 
     Gamble, where he ``was the original Pampers guy,'' he said.
       ``I was one of the three guys on the team that actually 
     developed the product back in the 1960s,'' Henderson said. 
     ``Actually, we didn't create a product. We created an 
     industry because there was no disposal diaper at that time.''
       Henderson began to see the opportunities that emerged after 
     deregulation of the telephone industry, and he owned other 
     telecom companies before starting UniDial in 1993. He has 
     since become a national leader in the industry and is 
     currently chairman of the Telecommunications Resellers 
     Association, a 700-member trade organization for businesses 
     reselling long distance and other services.
       Although UniDial is continuing to grow in national 
     prominence, Henderson, a native of Louisville, said he is 
     most proud that the company is a home-grown product.
       ``The neat thing about this company is that it was founded 
     here and it was built here,'' he said. ``It was built by 
     Louisville employees, and it's turned into a nationwide 
     deal.''
       And although the company could operate from anywhere , its 
     headquarters will stay in Louisville, he said.
       ``The opportunity we have as a company is to lead Kentucky 
     and this part of the country into a development stage for all 
     these young kids who are coming out of school,'' said 
     Henderson. ``We want them to stay here and help us build what 
     is going to be the future, and the future is in technology 
     and media.''


                            energy to spare

       Henderson's energy seems boundless, manifesting itself in 
     foot-tapping and leg-waggling when he is forced to sit down. 
     During a recent meeting with a group of local business 
     leaders, ``They were astounded by my energy,'' Henderson 
     said. ``They said, `You know, Sherm, you're not a young puppy 
     anymore,' and it's true, but energy comes from your 
     environment and from the environment that you allow in your 
     mind.''
       Henderson finds outlets for that energy in golf, spending 
     time with his wife, two children and two grandchildren (with 
     another on the way), and promoting his beloved Florida State 
     University Seminoles. Since attending the school on a 
     swimming scholarship, Henderson has remained active in alumni 
     activities, including a recently completed stint as chairman 
     of the Florida State Seminole Boosters. Football coach Bobby 
     Bowden is a golf partner and someone from whom Henderson said 
     he has learned a great deal.
       ``He's a winner, and you learn from winners,'' Henderson 
     said. ``If you keep pushing for whatever your objective is, 
     if you get 80 to 85 percent of that, you win.''
       Judging from UniDial's dramatic success, Henderson has 
     learned some secrets of winning. He gets to know the 
     company's nearly 600 employees at monthly small-group 
     lunches, gives managers plenty of autonomy, and tells 
     colleagues not to be afraid to make mistakes and ``use both 
     ends of the pencil,'' he said. He has also developed a simple 
     personal philosophy to help him keep things in perspective.
       ``I wake up every day and say this to myself: God first, 
     family second, and the rest will happen.''

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