[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 19, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10635-S10636]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO BOB MILLER

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the great 
achievements of a wonderful Vermont businessman, Bob Miller, president 
of R.E.M. Development Company in Williston.
  Bobby started R.E.M. Development in 1984, and over the last quarter 
century, the company has grown to become one of Vermont's largest 
commercial real estate developers. While it is hard to travel around 
Vermont without running into one of Bobby's projects, his lifelong 
commitment to bettering his community is both admirable and 
commendable.
  Bobby recently received two special awards for his outstanding 
business practices and devotion to the community. Citing ``their 
determination, success, and philanthropy,'' the Lake Champlain Regional 
Chamber of Commerce honored R.E.M. Development as its 2008 Large 
Business of the Year. In addition, saying that Bobby ``typifies the 
true spirit of service and self-sacrifice in representing the finest 
ideals of Vermont citizenship,'' the Vermont Chamber of Commerce 
presented him with its 2008 Citizen of the Year Award. I congratulate 
Bobby and R.E.M. Development for both of these well-deserved 
achievements.
  I ask unanimous consent to have a November 17, 2008, Burlington Free 
Press article about Bobby Miller's successful career printed in the 
Record so all Senators can read about a prosperous Vermont businessman 
who continually gives back to his community.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

        [From the Burlington Free Press, Monday, Nov. 17, 2008]

                    Miller Is a Builder and a Giver

                          (By Adam Silverman)

       Williston.--Just about anybody can create and run a 
     thriving business when times are good. When the economic 
     outlook is gloomier, though, success requires more careful 
     planning and management.
       That's both a piece of advice from and a guiding philosophy 
     for Bob Miller, president of Williston-based R.E.M 
     Development Co., a 24-year-old company that builds and leases 
     commercial real estate. Even with recession fears spreading, 
     Miller said business is flourishing.
       ``There is always demand,'' he said last week while sitting 
     behind his granite-topped desk at an industrial park he owns 
     on Avenue D. ``I don't think there's a good time or a bad 
     time to go into business. Either you have a business plan 
     that's going to work, or it's not. Anyone can make it in good 
     times.''
       Outside, cars, trucks, big rigs and package-delivery vans 
     frequented the businesses that rent space in his buildings. 
     The park represents just a fraction of the 2 million square 
     feet of real estate R.E.M rents, a total that makes the 
     company ``the region's largest commercial industrial 
     developer of manufacturing, distribution, warehouse, and flex 
     space,'' it boasts on its Web site.
       Miller, 73, of Burlington, whose initials compose his 
     company's acronym, incorporates another component into his 
     philosophy: the need for philanthropy, for businesses to give 
     back to their communities. He has donated money and 
     construction services to hospitals, exposition centers and 
     youth recreational facilities, among many others. Miller and 
     his wife, Holly, give what they call the ``three Ts''--time, 
     talent and treasure.
       ``It's kind of fun to take on one of these projects and 
     stand back and say, `We really helped this neighborhood,' '' 
     Miller said. ``It's a great way to get your name out. There 
     are rewards for philanthropy. People know you're out in the 
     community giving back and not just taking, taking, taking. 
     That's not why we do it--we do it because we want to--but 
     there is that relationship in getting involved.''
       Those components of Miller's work, the successful company 
     and the devotion to philanthropy, led to two awards he 
     received last week.
       The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce honored 
     R.E.M Development on Tuesday as its large business of the 
     year, citing Miller and the company for ``their 
     determination, success, and philanthropy.'' Three days later, 
     the Vermont Chamber of Commerce presented Miller its Citizen 
     of the Year Award, also championing his business acumen and 
     his good works.
       Miller ``typifies the true spirit of service and self-
     sacrifice in representing the finest ideals of Vermont 
     citizenship,'' the Vermont Chamber says on its Web site. 
     ``His commitment to the prosperity of the people and 
     businesses in Vermont reaches statewide.''
       Among Miller's projects is Burlington's Gosse Court Armory, 
     an old National Guard facility the military donated to the 
     city in 2005 for transformation into a community center.
       The city approached Miller about a potential contribution 
     after budget estimates exceeded available resources. Miller 
     looked at the plans, said he could do the work for $500,000 
     less than the $1.3 million estimate, and agreed to serve as 
     general contractor. Later he wrote a check for $100,000.
       ``It's really extraordinary to have a developer with his 
     skills and expertise step forward to do this for his 
     community,'' the city's chief administrative officer, 
     Jonathan Leopold, said earlier this year.
       Sitting in his office last week, Miller fielded a phone 
     call from a construction worker at the armory. Without 
     referring to any plans or drawings, Miller helped solve an 
     engineering challenge from memory, delivering precise 
     instructions. Then he drew a sketch on a blank sheet of paper 
     to help an observer understand the issue: the alignment of 
     basketball hoops and the configuration of lines on the 
     gymnasium floor.
       Miller's talent for drawing and engineering came naturally, 
     he said. A Rutland native, Miller thought during high school 
     he wanted to be a mechanic, but after graduation he turned 
     toward engineering. His first job was as a draftsman.
       He moved to Burlington in 1959 and helped draft electrical 
     plans for the University of Vermont's library and Burlington 
     High School; because the money wasn't great, Miller also 
     tended bar, he said. In 1972 he started New England Air 
     Systems, which he ran for

[[Page S10636]]

     a dozen years, and then he sold it to the employees and 
     created the company he continues to run--with 12-hour days 
     during the week and seven hours on Saturdays.
       ``One of my philosophies is, you've got to make money or 
     you're not going to be in business,'' he said. ``I love the 
     business. I love the challenge of negotiating. I'm fiercely 
     competitive. I may not look that way, but I'm a highly 
     competitive guy. But I'm not a sore loser, either.''
       Miller is especially happy to see businesses ``grow with 
     us,'' starting out small and expanding as their success 
     increases. R.E.M Development, which Miller runs with his son, 
     Tim, is devoted to helping its tenants, but expects serious 
     effort in return, Miller said.
       ``We try to help people get started. I'm a great advocate 
     of the underdog, because that's where I came from,'' he said. 
     ``We want people to make a profit, but they've got to work 
     for it, as we do.''
       Businesses first must craft a solid, well-researched, 
     thorough, realistic business plan, Miller suggested. Then 
     they must forge relationships with customers and with 
     vendors, and develop and maintain a positive reputation. 
     That's helped Miller thrive.
       ``When we really need a product, we can get that product,'' 
     he said, referring to critical building components. ``People 
     know they will get paid. We don't cry wolf every day, but we 
     do cry wolf from time to time.''
       Last, and sometimes of special importance, is for an owner 
     to be able to abandon an unsuccessful venture, as he did with 
     a portable-storage project he launched just before 9/11, even 
     though a stigma can be attached, Miller said.
       ``If you're successful, everyone thinks you're a genius. If 
     you fail they think you're a schmuck,'' he said. ``Don't fall 
     in love with 'em. Drop 'em if it doesn't work. You have to be 
     a realist.''
       Regardless of the situation, Miller encourages other 
     business owners to give back. He likes to quote fellow 
     Vermont philanthropist J. Warren McClure, who died in 2004: 
     ``If you can't give a dollar, you'll never give a hundred.''
       ``Give what you can,'' Miller said. ``We have an 
     obligation. There are many, many, many needs. And you can 
     have a lot of fun doing it.''

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