[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 104 (Thursday, June 20, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E806]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             IN APPRECIATION OF MARK BENSON'S WORK IN IDAHO

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 20, 2019

  Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a great friend to 
Idaho, Mark Benson, who is retiring after a 42 year career with 
PotlatchDeltic. The last 13 years he has been Vice President, Public 
Affairs. However, his title to me is a friend and trusted advisor.
  I met Mark when I was in the Idaho Legislature. He quickly 
established himself as a valuable advisor on forestry and paper 
products which is a large economic driver in Idaho. Mark has the unique 
ability to explain an issue and the impacts from every perspective and 
gives always gives an honest assessment of the status.
  Mark worked at nearly every level of PotlatchDeltic, starting as a 
field forester in 1974. He has left his mark on the industry and will 
be remembered for founding the National Alliance of Forest Owners who 
is a leading voice on all the issues facing forestry.
  Mark has been a great friend to my staff and me. To Mark, 
PotlatchDeltic was not just a job, it was a lifestyle and he treated 
his colleagues like family. Mark is also an incredible husband and 
father as witnessed by his supportive wife Patti and three amazing 
daughters who now have families of their own. No doubt, this will be 
the focal point of his retirement alongside his many hobbies including 
golf, hunting, and travel.
  If I have one gripe with Mark, it is that he never let me win on the 
golf course. As kind and generous as he is, he could never seem to find 
it in his heart to let a putt or two slide by. Perhaps I will be able 
to change that now that he has more time to hit the links.
  I wish Mark and Patti and the rest of their family a terrific and 
well-deserved retirement. I look forward to keeping in touch with him 
as a friend and seeing him back in Idaho.

                          ____________________