[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 9 (Wednesday, February 2, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E136-E137]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING JUDD AND SUSAN SHOVAL AND GUARD INSURANCE GROUP UPON 
       RECEIVING THE WILKES-BARRE 2005 COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 2, 2005

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask you and my esteemed 
colleagues in the

[[Page E137]]

House of Representatives to pay tribute to my very good friends Judd 
and Susan Shoval and their company, GUARD Insurance, who received the 
Wilkes-Barre 2005 Community Leadership Award at a ceremony on Friday at 
the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
  The foundation of GUARD was an entrepreneurial expansion for Judd and 
Susan and a move that showed their commitment to investing in the 
community. Prior to GUARD, they had founded a commercial property and 
casualty insurance agency called Shoval Associates. As their business 
grew, they established an independent insurance company specializing in 
workers' compensation insurance in 1983.
  In 2004, A.M. Best Co. recognized GUARD Insurance as an e-Fusion 
Finalist. This is a national awards program that spotlights innovative 
usage of technology to address insurance business challenges. In 2001, 
GUARD was ranked second among the 50 best large places to work in 
Pennsylvania. Ernst and Young recognized Judd and Susan with the 
Regional Entrepreneur-of-the-Year Award in 2001.
  Judd and Susan--always community minded--kept their home office in 
Wilkes-Barre. They operate seven field offices and have four 
subsidiaries. Their company employs 560 and insures 27,000 employers.
  Judd and Susan are tremendously involved in the community. I have 
known Susan very well as a director of the Earth Conservancy, a non-
profit organization I helped found dedicated to reclaiming and 
developing 16,000 acres of former coal mine lands. I will always be 
grateful for the time and leadership she devoted to this worthy cause.
  Judd is also involved with the community, including service on the 
boards of local universities, the Jewish Community Center and the 
United Jewish Campaign. He is also the chairman of CityVest, a 
nonprofit organization I helped found to serve as a developer of last 
resort. CityVest has already renovated several classic old homes on 
South Franklin Street and is now embarking on perhaps Wilkes-Barre's 
premiere landmark, The Hotel Sterling.
  Judd earned a law degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 
Originally from Austria, Judd had moved to America in the early 1970s. 
A native of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Susan graduated magna cum laude 
with an economics degree from Cornell University and with highest 
honors from the College of Insurance in New York City. Judd and Susan 
have four children: Ben, Deborah, Karyn, and Rebecca.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating these two entrepreneurs 
who have given so much to their community. They are most deserving of 
the Wilkes-Barre 2005 Community Leadership Award.

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