[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 10, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S5443]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO ELTON ``MICK'' RINGSAK

 Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to an 
outstanding advocate of small and rural business, Elton ``Mick'' 
Ringsak, who will be concluding his time as Small Business 
Administration Region VIII Administrator in July of 2008.
  For nearly 8 years he has been a champion for small business in rural 
America. He has recognized the important role they play in 
strengthening the local and national economies of our country and I 
have appreciated the excellent work he has done for the State of North 
Dakota. Mick has worked hard to provide Federal assistance to small 
businesses so they can be productive and grow.
  Not only is Mick Ringsak an advocate for small and rural businesses 
in America, he is also an outstanding person. He has never lost the 
values he gained growing up in Grafton, ND. During my years as Tax 
Commissioner for the State of ND, I had the opportunity to work closely 
with his father, a legislator in the State Senate from the Grafton 
area.
  Mick and his wife Claire are parents of three sons, Quint, Justin and 
Zach. He is trustworthy, honest, and dedicated to making the economic 
environment friendlier to small and rural businesses. Prior to his 
appointment appointed as the SBA Region VIII Administrator in 2001, 
Mick, a Vietnam veteran, owned and managed Miller's Boots and Shoes 
along with his brother-in-law in Butte, MT.
  I appreciate his work as SBA Region VIII Administrator, and I wish 
Mick well in his future endeavors. I have enjoyed working with him in 
developing North Dakota's small and rural businesses and he has also 
been a good friend. I wish him all the best in his upcoming retirement 
and look forward to his continuing leadership for small business for 
many years to come.

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