[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 81 (Tuesday, June 7, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3537-S3538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO RICK COCHRAN
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, my fellow Members of the U.S. Senate have
heard me say this before, but today I have reason to say it again:
Vermonters are some of the most innovative and hardworking people in
this country. The U.S. Small Business Administration recently
highlighted one of these great individuals when it named Rick Cochran
of the Mobile Medical International Corporation in St. Johnsbury,
Vermont, as the 2011
[[Page S3538]]
National Small Business Person of the Year.
Mr. Cochran deserves this recognition for his many years of hard work
building a successful small business that provides mobile, combat-ready
shelter systems both in the U.S. and abroad. In collaboration with the
U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,
the U.S. Air Force, and others, Mr. Cochran and his team provide
quality medical services to the many dedicated men and woman worldwide
who put their lives at risk in the military. Mr. Cochran has also
deployed mobile surgical units across the globe to developing
countries, giving third world countries cost-effective mobile access to
modern medical facilities.
From an otherwise nondescript industrial building in St. Johnsbury,
Mobile Medical has touched the lives of thousands of people from across
the globe. Whether the company is shipping units to the Middle East,
deploying units with National Guard soldiers, or quickly delivering aid
to communities devastated by natural disasters here at home, the men
and women who have engineered and manufactured these mobile medical
facilities have found a novel and cost-effective way to deliver state-
of-the-art medical care in some of the world's most challenging
environments. Just last week, I learned that Mobile Medical had already
deployed mobile healthcare facilities to assist in the recovery efforts
in Joplin, MO, following the catastrophic weather that left hundreds
dead and thousands more injured.
Mr. Cochran and his staff have improved the lives of others both
abroad and locally, as their business has created hundreds of job
opportunities for Vermonters in our rural Northeast Kingdom. As a
longtime supporter of Mobile Medical, I was pleased to see this locally
owned business recognized for the great work it has done in Vermont and
across the globe.
I continue to be proud of the many small businesses thriving across
Vermont. And today I am especially proud of the work of one small
business that has succeeded both financially and socially Mobile
Medical International Corporation of St. Johnsbury, VT. I wish Rick and
his business continued success in the future. I also ask that the May
20, 2011, U.S. Small Business Administration announcement of this award
be printed in the Record.
The information follows:
Vermont Manufacturer of Mobile Health Care Units Is National Small
Business Person of the Year
[Friday, May 20, 2011]
Washington.--When Rick Cochran was working with five
employees in his basement in Walden, Vt., his dream was to
find a way to provide advanced medical care to underserved
areas, and build a company that could deliver it.
Today, the Vermont manufacturer of state-of-the-art mobile
healthcare and diagnostic units was named 2011 National Small
Business Person of the year by Karen Mills, Administrator of
the U.S. Small Business Administration. Mills made the
announcement during ceremonies at SBA's celebration of
National Small Business Week in Washington, D.C.
First runner-up is Deborah Carey, president and founder of
the New Glarus Brewing Company, in New Glarus in southwestern
Wisconsin. Second runner-up is Leigh Kamstra, owner and chef
of Roma's Ristorante in Spearfish, S.D., north of the Black
Hills.
``The innovation, inspiration and determination shown by
Rick Cochran and his employees have elevated his company,
Mobile Medical International, to a level that is above and
beyond the norm,'' said Mills. ``These are the qualities that
make small businesses such a powerful force for job creation
in the American economy and in their local communities. Rick
had a dream and he persisted--creating jobs, winning the
loyalty of his team, and filling a need in the marketplace
that has taken Mobile Medical from his basement to a
worldwide stage. We are especially proud that when Rick
Cochran's company needed financing, he turned to the U.S.
Small Business Administration, and the SBA was able to help
him.
``I applaud Rick and his team, and I applaud the runners-up
and their staffs, and all of the state small business persons
of the year who are here today,'' Mills said. ``We are all
grateful for their contributions to our economy. They are
magnificent examples of the character of America's most
successful entrepreneurs.''
The National Small Business Person of the Year and runners-
up were selected from among the state winners in 50 states,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,
and Guam. All are being honored this week in Washington,
D.C., as part of National Small Business Week. The awards
were announced at today's National Awards Luncheon, sponsored
by Sam's Club at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
For Cochran the road began when he left a job at an
advanced medical equipment provider to establish his first
venture, Outpatient Services of America, a consulting firm
specializing in planning and developing ambulatory surgery
centers. His plan evolved in 1994, when he researched and
created an initial design for a mobile surgery unit and
established Mobile Medical International, working from his
basement with a staff of five. By 1995, he had the capital,
and by 1996, he had his prototype.
At first, he provided temporary solutions for hospitals
undergoing renovations, but he was able to expand the
business into broader commercial, military, and emergency
response applications worldwide. During one rough patch in
1999, much of his core team--inspired by Cochran's
perseverance, optimism and faith--worked without pay when
financing ran dry and the company nearly closed its doors.
They were reimbursed later, when the company rebounded. The
company also secured financing support from three SBA-backed
loans in 1997, 2005 and 2008.
MMI's products include mobile surgical hospitals built into
a semi-sized tractor-trailer and an inflatable hospital ward
that fits into a trailer pulled by a Humvee. To date, MMIC
has 22 mobile healthcare units in its product line, including
Mobile Breast Care Centers, Mobile Intensive Care, Mobile
Laboratory/Pharmacy, Mobile CT Scan/Dental/Ophthalmology,
Mobile Ophthalmology and Mobile Endoscopy Units.
Today, MMI's staff has grown to 54, and net income--just
$9,835 in 2008--rose in 2010 to $1.68 million on gross
revenues of more than $14 million.
First runner-up Carey developed her business plan for the
New Glarus Brewing Company while her husband Dan, a master
brewer, gathered the materials, grains and equipment needed
for start-up. In 1993 they negotiated to lease a warehouse in
New Glarus, exchanging the lease for stock in the company.
They sold their home and raised $40,000 in seed money, yet
still needed more cash to fund the startup. Carey pitched her
story to local newspapers, and the media attention brought in
$200,000 from investors.
In the early days, the couple worked hard to establish the
brewery's reputation for consistent quality beers. Carey
based her plan on developing a very loyal customer base. She
set up beer tasting classes along with offering brewery
tours, and the brewery started to take off, attracting notice
from distributors. New Glarus Brewing Company has grown to 50
full-time employees, has registered growth in profits of 123
percent from 2007 to 2009, and is Wisconsin's number one
micro-brewery relative to sales volume.
Kamstra, the second runner-up, had been eyeing an old,
dilapidated stone building that had stood empty while she was
a college student attending Black Hills State University. She
didn't know exactly at the time how or why, but she knew
somehow her future would be in that building.
After earning a degree in business and 10 years in banking,
Kamstra changed course and earned a degree in culinary arts
at the Colorado Institute of art. In 1999, with the help of
an SBA-guaranteed loan, Kamstra leased the old dilapidated
building, refurbished it and opened Roma's Ristorante. When
the old building proved too small, Kamstra adapted, securing
another SBA-backed loan in 2010 to finance construction of a
new building, with more space. Since then, sales have nearly
doubled and staff has increased from 11 to 35.
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