[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 123 (Thursday, September 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF HELEN BRANDT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 20, 2001

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a dedicated 
citizen and long-time employee of the Quad Cities Development Group of 
Rock Island, Illinois--Ms. Helen Brandt.
  The Quad Cities Development Group, an umbrella organization for 
economic development for the major cities in my district, has been the 
catalyst for attracting over 14,000 new jobs and over $1 billion in new 
investment in the Quad Cities in the last 10 years. But an organization 
is only as good and only as effective as the men and women who give it 
its energy and life, and Helen Brandt has certainly been a dynamic 
force for enhancing the quality of life in the Quad Cities.
  For the past nine years, Helen has been a Project Manager for the 
Quad Cities Development Group. Helen worked on many of the successful 
projects that brought jobs and investment to the Quad Cities area 
including organizing marketing efforts for business clients around the 
John Deere Classic golf tournament. Helen also led the successful 
visits by the Quad City community leaders on their annual visit to 
Washington, DC, to present regional issues to legislative leaders and 
Federal officials.
  Prior to Helen's work with the Quad Cities Development Group, she 
served as the Executive Vice President of the Northern Illinois 
Industrial Development Corporation, and before that worked in the 
telephone industry for 25 years. Helen is one of those rare persons who 
can successfully accomplish all these work-related tasks while still 
finding time to volunteer in many professional and community groups.
  Helen will be missed by all her friends at the Quad Cities 
Development Group, but she plans to have an active retirement in the 
Moline area, so I am sure her community volunteer efforts will 
continue. I would like to wish Helen, her two children and five 
grandchildren continued success in her retirement.

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