[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 156 (Sunday, September 28, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2112]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING MICHAEL J. CRITELLI

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 26, 2008

  Mr. SHAYS. Madam Speaker, I pay tribute today to Michael J. 
Critelli--one of our foremost leaders in corporate America today. Mike 
has been at the helm of Pitney Bowes for over a decade and with the 
company for almost 30 years. At the end of this year, he steps down so 
on the occasion of his retirement. I would like to recognize his years 
of service.
  Mike has been a leader at Pitney Bowes for many years in a number of 
positions. He's been the company's general counsel, chief personnel 
officer, president of Pitney Bowes Financial Services as well as chief 
executive officer and chairman of the board and is currently the 
executive chairman of the board. He's been a business leader not only 
in his home State of Connecticut, where Pitney Bowes is headquarters in 
my district in Stamford, but also on issues here in Washington, DC.
  Mike spent a tremendous amount of time working on postal reform 
legislation and his work was exemplary. He helped to form the Mailing 
Industry CEO Council, an organization of over a dozen leaders of major 
mailing industry companies. As CEO of Pitney Bowes as well as chairman 
of the Mailing Industry CEO Council, he came to town frequently to meet 
with me and other members of the Oversight and Government Reform 
Committee and many others to champion the postal reform legislation and 
need for reform. His commitment to this issue was extraordinary. And in 
the second session of the 109th Congress, we saw the legislation pass 
the House and Senate and it became law.
  One of the people there with President Bush--front and center--when 
the President signed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act into 
law was Mike Critelli. It was the culmination of years of effort by 
those of us in Congress but also people in the mailing industry like 
Mike Critelli. He was, almost without a doubt, the single most 
dedicated corporate executive working with us in Congress to enact that 
legislation. He knew it was what the U.S. Postal Service needed in 
order to survive and thrive for the long term and he was dedicated to 
helping get it done.
  Mike has also been committed to helping retain jobs in Connecticut. 
At a Government Reform Committee hearing several years ago on postal 
reform, Mike Critelli testified. He made a decision to move some jobs 
to an old industrial city in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He could have 
moved some of these folks elsewhere but he knew that Bridgeport needed 
the jobs. That not only speaks volumes for who Mike Critelli is, but it 
also speaks volumes for the commitment of Pitney Bowes and its leaders 
to the well-being of our State.
  Mike's commitment to our community has been a constant for over two 
decades during which he has volunteered in a range of advocacy roles 
for organizations in Connecticut. For example, he has been active on 
transportation issues including most recently serving as chairman of 
Governor Rell's Commission on the Reform of the Connecticut Department 
of Transportation.
  I am grateful for Mike's dedication to the people of our community 
and the important issues affecting them. Please join me in recognizing 
Michael J. Critelli as he retires this year.

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