[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 16 (Wednesday, February 3, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING CLAUDE LAVAL III

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 3, 2010

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Claude 
Laval upon his retirement as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for 
the Central Valley Business Incubator. Mr. Laval will be honored on 
Thursday, December 10, 2009.
  Mr. Claude Laval was born and raised in Fresno, California. Upon his 
graduation from Fresno High School, he attended and graduated from 
Stanford University. After returning to the Central Valley, Mr. Laval 
had a calling to help develop the greater Fresno area. Mr. Laval 
established the Claude Laval Corporation over thirty years ago. The 
company has become a worldwide leader in water technology with a strong 
reputation for supplying water filtration equipment around the world 
and leading the company into a range of industrial, commercial and 
agricultural markets. He currently serves as Chairman of Claude Laval 
Corporation, while his daughter, Melinda Laval, serves as President.
  In addition to his responsibilities with his own business, Mr. Laval 
has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Central Valley 
Business Incubator (CVBI) since inception in 1996. The mission of CVBI 
is to nurture and develop entrepreneurs through an integrated network 
of incubation and business development partners providing access to 
comprehensive services aimed at creating sustainable high growth 
ventures. Under Mr. Laval's leadership, CVBI has created over two 
thousand five hundred jobs, raised millions of dollars in start-up 
capital and hundreds of students have completed various entrepreneur 
training programs offered by the organization.
  In March 2007, the Claude Laval Water and Energy Technology (WET) 
Incubator was established under the CVBI umbrella. The WET Incubator 
was designed to establish the Central Valley as a world wide leader in 
water and energy innovation. With almost three years into the project, 
the WET Incubator houses five on-site members and has been very 
successful in its endeavors. Finally, Mr. Laval is also serving as the 
Chair of the International Center for Water Technology (ICWT). ICWT was 
established to provide education and research to assist in developing 
innovative solutions and technologies to improve water use efficiency.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Claude Laval 
for his years of dedicated service to the Central Valley Business 
Incubator and business and water leadership in the greater Fresno area. 
I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Mr. Laval many years of 
continued success.

                          ____________________