[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 162 (Thursday, December 9, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8710-S8711]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNIZING FIBER MATERIALS, INC.

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, America has maintained its role as 
the world's most innovative and predominant economy in large part due 
to its 27.5 million small businesses. And many of these companies 
partake in significant Federal contracting and subcontracting 
opportunities, affording these businesses with the ability to 
participate in the development of new and cutting-edge technologies and 
products. I rise today to recognize one Maine company that has taken 
part in the Federal procurement process and

[[Page S8711]]

contributed tremendously to a number of highly advanced projects.
  Fiber Materials was established in the southern Maine town of 
Biddeford in 1969 and has become a global leader in the design, 
manufacture, and testing of a variety of advanced composites in its 40 
years of operation. The company produces a wide range of materials, 
from carbon/carbon composites used in the construction of heatshields 
and missile nosetips, to quartz products designed for printed circuit 
boards or electrical and thermal insulation. Fiber Materials now 
employs roughly 180 employees at its facilities in Biddeford and 
Presque Isle, and its Space Technology Division in Columbus, OH.
  Fiber Materials has earned a number of financial awards to fund the 
development of critical projects through the Small Business Innovation 
Research, or SBIR, program at the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration, NASA. The SBIR program provides funding to small 
businesses with innovative, early stage ideas that align with the 
research and development goals of 11 different Federal agencies, 
including NASA, the Department of Defense, and the National Institutes 
of Health. One of the most recent systems that Fiber Materials 
contributed to under NASA's purview is ORION Launch Abort System, which 
will allow the crew to escape the spacecraft in the case of an 
emergency. The system was successfully tested in May 2010.
  In recognition of Fiber Materials' dedicated efforts to NASA, the 
Johnson Space Center recently recognized the company with its 2010 
Small Business Subcontractor of the Year Award. According to NASA's 
Office of Small Business Programs, the award acknowledges `` successful 
and innovative practices that promote small business participation in 
the initiatives that NASA undertakes.'' Fiber Materials has been an 
invaluable resource to the Federal government from the beginning, and I 
commend the company for playing such an integral part in some of NASA's 
most critical initiatives.
  Small businesses that are versatile and multifaceted such as Fiber 
Materials will be critical as the United States seeks to continue in 
its role as a world leader. Undoubtedly, participating in programs like 
SBIR will provide the company with countless additional opportunities 
to simultaneously contribute to NASA's mission and create jobs in 
Maine. I thank everyone at Fiber Materials for their strong work ethic, 
ingenuity, and dedication, and I wish them continued success in the 
years to come.

                          ____________________