[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 117 (Tuesday, September 19, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1757-E1758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        THANKING PUBLIC-SPIRITED EMPLOYEES AT GEOEYE IN COLORADO

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 19, 2006

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the 
assistance of several public-spirited individuals working at GeoEye, 
the world's largest commercial satellite imagery company.
  GeoEye, which acquired another company, Space Imagining, earlier this 
year, now operates a constellation of three Earth imaging satellites--
Orb View-2, Orb View-3 and IKONOS--that contribute to an international 
network of more than a dozen regional ground stations, an image 
archive, and advanced geospatial imagery processing capabilities that 
are among the best in the world.
  GeoEye has a strong presence in Colorado's 2nd Congressional District 
and recently demonstrated the value of their corporate presence in our 
state.
  Last month, the Boulder County Sheriff and others responded to a 
report that a young Marine was missing after a fall in Eldorado Canyon 
State Park. This search effort involved hundreds of volunteers and a 
significant number of law enforcement officials, and of course the 
missing Marine's parents were deeply concerned about their son's 
disappearance, and conventional search methods were proving to be 
ineffective.
  As the search was underway, my office was asked to contact GeoEye to 
see if they might be able to provide imaging data that could be used to 
find him.
  Within moments of my request, GeoEye was offering up satellite 
imaging of the Eldorado Springs area and other forms of assistance to 
the Boulder County Sheriff's Department and to the Marine's family. No 
questions asked. No request for payment in return for services 
rendered; just a neighborly helping hand.
  I want to express my deep public appreciation for the employees at 
GeoEye, who were quick to offer the company's assistance and who 
demonstrated a true sense of community spirit in a difficult situation.
  While the law says ``corporations'' are also ``persons,'' I think it 
is noteworthy when a company responds to a crisis in the way ordinary 
citizens do. After all, companies are organized--and properly so--for 
financial profit and economic benefit. We don't expect corporations, 
particularly large ones, to exhibit the

[[Page E1758]]

very human qualities that neighbors or friends do. And that is why I 
want to commend GeoEye and thank the company for their quick response 
and their offer to help.
  I want to particularly thank Mr. Matt O'Connell, the CEO of GeoEye, 
Mr. Mark Brender, the Vice President for Comms/Marketing at GeoEye, and 
to Kim Goff, Kerri Rose and Val Webb. They generously gave of their 
time and expertise to help the community. Ms. Webb called my District 
Office to follow up on the case several times to offer additional 
assistance. That kind of personal effort certainly impressed me and my 
staff.
  Please join me in commending these individuals and thanking them for 
their public-spiritedness. They remind us that with the right 
leadership, corporations are not necessarily abstract institutions 
lacking the qualities we look for in good friends and neighbors, but 
are, at their best, integral parts of the community at-large.

                          ____________________