[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 101 (Wednesday, July 8, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S7256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     COMMENDING CUSTOM CORDAGE, LLC

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, today I recognize the contributions 
of a tremendously innovative small business from my home State of 
Maine--Custom Cordage, LLC--that has taken on the mission of helping 
lobstermen dispose of their old, unusable rope by transforming it into 
charming gifts.
  When Maine lobstermen went to set their traps this spring, they first 
had to replace the rope they used to connect one lobster trap to 
another as the result of a new regulation banning the use of 
traditional floating rope. It requires lobster pots to be linked with 
sink-rope, the goal being to reduce the risk of entangling whales. 
Regrettably, Maine's lobstermen face a financial burden as the new 
sink-rope can cost twice as much as float-rope and is far more 
expensive to maintain. Additionally, the new regulation threatened to 
result in hundreds of thousands of pounds of unusable rope clogging 
local landfills.
  Aware of this mounting problem for Maine's lobstermen, David Bird, 
owner of Custom Cordage, a Waldoboro company that manufactures a 
variety of rope, cord, and similar products, decided last summer to 
begin making doormats out of retired float-rope. This colorful float-
rope is uniquely weathered by seasons of use and exposure to salt 
water, producing a distinctive and lasting gift. Previously, the 
repurchased float-rope was melted and reformed as cheap plastic pots 
for plants. Now, the float-rope is beginning to grace the front doors 
of houses across the country in the form of high-quality, handwoven 
doormats.
  Mr. Bird's creative and novel idea has caught the Nation's attention 
quickly. His company produces roughly 40 mats each day, and customers 
from across the Nation purchase over a thousand mats per month! An 
exceptional product, these vivid doormats were recently acknowledged as 
the ``Best New Product'' at this year's New England Products Trade Show 
in Portland.
  Maine's lobster industry, comprised of more than 7,000 owner-operated 
small businesses, is a pillar of Maine's fishing industry and of our 
State's economy. Thanks to the forward-looking actions of Mr. Bird, 
lobstermen can more effectively offset the cost of upgrading to sink-
rope, and the old float-rope can be kept out of local landfills. My 
sincerest thanks to Mr. Bird and everyone at Custom Cordage for their 
devotion to building forward-thinking small businesses that help our 
environment, our lobstermen, and our local economy. I wish them all 
success with this and future endeavors.

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