[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 35 (Monday, March 27, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S1742]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S1742]]
            LOUISIANA BUSINESS LEADER BILL RAINEY TO RETIRE

  Mr. BREAUX. Mr. President, I rise today to honor longtime Baton Rouge 
business and community leader Bill Rainey, site manager of ExxonMobil's 
Baton Rouge Chemical Plant. Bill is retiring at the end of this month 
after a 33-year Exxon career that began at the company's Baton Rouge 
Refinery in 1966.
  Those of us in government who spent parts of our careers in Baton 
Rouge recognize Bill Rainey as one of the most tireless community 
leaders and effective problem solvers in the Louisiana capital. Bill's 
leadership in the community and direction of ExxonMobil's philanthropic 
works will be hard to replace and the company's more than 4,000 
employees in Baton Rouge will miss his steady hand on the ExxonMobil 
rudder.
  A native of Auburn, Alabama, Bill earned a bachelor's degree in 
chemical engineering from Auburn University in 1966 before embarking on 
his Exxon career. He left Baton Rouge in 1973 for a three-year stint in 
Exxon USA's Houston headquarters but returned to the Refinery in 1976 
to accept the first of many management positions in Baton Rouge. In 
1985, he became manager of the Exxon Research and Development 
Laboratories (ERDL) in Baton Rouge before returning to the Refinery as 
mechanical manager in 1988.
  Like many of Exxon's top performers around the world, he was called 
to Valdez, Alaska in 1989 where he served as operations manager for 
Exxon's oil spill recovery and cleanup operations. In 1992, he was 
named manager of the Baton Rouge Refinery, where he served with 
distinction until moving up Scenic Highway to the adjacent Baton Rouge 
Chemical Plant as site manager in 1996.
  While moving up the ranks to ExxonMobil's two top positions in Baton 
Rouge, Bill also moved up the ranks in almost every industry and 
charitable organization in which he was involved. He is a member of the 
board of directors and the executive committee of the Louisiana 
Chemical Association and has served with distinction as chairman of the 
board of directors of the Louisiana Chemical Industry Alliance since 
1996. While refinery manager he served on the board of directors of the 
Louisiana MidContinent Oil and Gas Association and provided outstanding 
leadership to that organization's initiatives and responses to various 
legislative proposals over the years.
  One of the organizations that will miss Bill the most is the Capital 
Area United Way, which he served as board chair in 1996-97. 
ExxonMobil's annual combined corporate and employee and annuitant 
contribution of more than $1 million makes it the largest United Way 
supporter in the state and says volumes about his leadership of that 
essential and worthwhile effort.
  Bill also serves currently as a member of the board of directors of 
the Greater Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce and the Partnership for 
Excellence Board of LSU's E.J. Ourso College of Business Administration 
and as co-chair of Community Action for Children.
  Among Bill's many awards are the 1998 Alumni Recognition Award for 
Community Services from the LSU School of Social Work and the 1998 
Volunteer CEO of the Year Award from the Volunteer Baton Rouge 
Corporate Volunteer Council.
  Probably Bill's most notable accomplishment since arriving in Baton 
Rouge 33 years ago, though, was discovering his lovely wife, the former 
Emilie Steffek of Baton Rouge, and with her raising their three sons--
Will, 29; Chase, 27; and Kyle, 25--all of whom make their homes in 
Baton Rouge.
  I know that Bill and Emilie will continue to be active in their 
efforts to help others and I hope to be able to call on Bill from time 
to time as oil and gas or petrochemical industry issues critical to our 
state arise.
  Bill is a frequent visitor to Washington and I know the entire 
Louisiana delegation joins me in wishing both him and Emilie a long and 
happy retirement.

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