[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 87 (Monday, June 27, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1369]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DONALD RUGGERY, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 27, 2005

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Donald Ruggery, Sr., 
owner of Ruggieri Enterprises LLC of Altoona, who has been honored as 
the 2005 Small Business Person of the Year by the St. Francis 
University Small Business Development Center. The Center recognizes 
businesses that have participated in the University's small business 
outreach program whose primary goal is to educate new business owners 
on how to create a successful business plan as well as assist in 
locating proper financing for their fledgling businesses.
  After serving for more than 30 years as the Regional Director for the 
State Job Services and Unemployment Compensation Office in Altoona, 
Donald Ruggery, Sr. retired from his duties to assume a responsibility 
as equally as altruistic. In January 1992, he founded a Spherion 
staffing services franchise which today has grown into a full-service 
staffing and human resource consulting company providing permanent and 
temporary employment to thousands in the area. The success of the 
Spherion franchise in Altoona has spawned 11 other Spherion locations 
throughout central and western Pennsylvania.
  Today, Ruggieri Enterprises, LLC doing business as Spherion under 
Donald's helm, is one of the top franchisees of a publicly-traded, 
three billion dollar staffing and human capital consulting company.
  Donald selflessly refuses to take the full credit for such 
achievements and insists that others beside him were responsible for 
accomplishing their success in finding jobs for out-of-work 
Pennsylvanians. Despite Donald's refusal to take full recognition, 
through his careful guidance and leadership, Spherion has developed 
from a small start-up with one Altoona office at its inception to a 
multiple location firm with over $34 million in revenue in 2004 alone.
  The thousands of Pennsylvanians who now have jobs due to his 
continued hard work would certainly join me in thanking Donald for his 
contributions to the community and the economy, as well as serving as 
an inspiration for the spirit of chivalrous virtue.

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