[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 15] [Senate] [Pages 22084-22085] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]TRIBUTE TO SHERMAN HENDERSON Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a fine businessman, family man and all-around great Kentuckian, Sherman Henderson. Sherm is a man who exudes the kind of enthusiasm and spunk everybody wants to possess. He has a genuine zest for life. Sherm's energy has helped him found and run one of the countries top 20 fastest-growing private companies, UniDial Communications, Inc. Sherm founded UniDial just six years ago with six employees and, in that short time, has turned UniDial into a 600-employee operation and an unbelievable success story. Some of the most successful businessmen become great because they see an untapped market and make it theirs--and that is what Sherm has done with the communications industry in UniDial. Intuitively picking up on emerging opportunities in the communications field after the telephone industry was deregulated, Sherm dove into the business head first. He started by investing in other telecommunications companies, and then founded the now-booming UniDial in 1993. As well as being a great businessman, Sherm has always been a good friend and family man. He boasts a terrific wife, two wonderful children, and two (soon-to-be-three) much-doted-upon grandchildren. Sherm, on behalf of my colleagues and myself, I express my heartfelt admiration for your accomplishments, congratulate you on your success, and wish you the best in your future endeavors. Thank you for creating hundreds of jobs for your fellow Kentuckians, and for making such a significant contribution to our state's economies and communities. Mr. President, I ask that a copy of an article that ran in the Louisville Voice-Tribune on August 25, 1999, be printed in the Record following my remarks. The article follows. Making a Big Splash (By Susan McDonald) Sherman Henderson says a lot of people have trouble understanding what he does for a living, but he must do it pretty well. UniDial Communications Inc., the company he founded with half a dozen employees only six years ago, is now among the 20 fastest-growing private companies in the country, according to Inc. magazine. That's not bad for a company Henderson conceived over breakfast one August morning at a local Denny's restaurant. UniDial is now poised for still more growth. The company, which built its business primarily as a reseller of long- distance telephone service and other communications products, is expanding to meet the growing demand for technology, Henderson said. UniDial recently announced plans to build its own nationwide telecommunications network, called xios, to offer integrated data, voice, Internet and other telecom services. Its new 75,000-square-foot building at Eastpoint Business Center will soon be followed by more new facilities. But although UniDial has become a familiar name, its business remains a mystery to many, Henderson said. ``It's hard for people to understand what we do,'' he said. ``We're a communications company. We communicate, and we have all [[Page 22085]] kinds of vehicles to do it with, whether it's a fax machine, a voice over a hard line, data transmission, videoconferencing, conference calls, or whatever.'' Embracing technology Henderson and Unidial have capitalized on people's hunger for more communication and information, he said. Although Americans are inundated with mail, voice messages, and e- mail, they want more, said Henderson who can quote a wealth of facts, figures and statistics about the fast pace of technology and the factors that drive it. Still, Henderson, who is in his 50s, said it's difficult for members of his generation to keep up with the quick pace of technological advancements. ``My generation has two problems,'' he said. ``We're not educated in the field of technology because we didn't grow up with it. The second strike against our generation is our habits. We don't embrace technology because we all have gray hair. To keep up is tremendously tough, even for me, and I'm in the business.'' Henderson does keep up, though, making extensive use of the Internet to conduct business, make travel arrangements, shop and more. ``I do a lot of fun things, like seeing where the Rolling Stones are playing next, or where is Elton John playing, or get information about golf courses,'' he said. from diapers to high tech Henderson's experience in the telecommunications industry isn't much older than UniDial itself. Before starting the company, his varied business experience included real estate development, sales and marketing, and a stint at Proctor & Gamble, where he ``was the original Pampers guy,'' he said. ``I was one of the three guys on the team that actually developed the product back in the 1960s,'' Henderson said. ``Actually, we didn't create a product. We created an industry because there was no disposal diaper at that time.'' Henderson began to see the opportunities that emerged after deregulation of the telephone industry, and he owned other telecom companies before starting UniDial in 1993. He has since become a national leader in the industry and is currently chairman of the Telecommunications Resellers Association, a 700-member trade organization for businesses reselling long distance and other services. Although UniDial is continuing to grow in national prominence, Henderson, a native of Louisville, said he is most proud that the company is a home-grown product. ``The neat thing about this company is that it was founded here and it was built here,'' he said. ``It was built by Louisville employees, and it's turned into a nationwide deal.'' And although the company could operate from anywhere , its headquarters will stay in Louisville, he said. ``The opportunity we have as a company is to lead Kentucky and this part of the country into a development stage for all these young kids who are coming out of school,'' said Henderson. ``We want them to stay here and help us build what is going to be the future, and the future is in technology and media.'' energy to spare Henderson's energy seems boundless, manifesting itself in foot-tapping and leg-waggling when he is forced to sit down. During a recent meeting with a group of local business leaders, ``They were astounded by my energy,'' Henderson said. ``They said, `You know, Sherm, you're not a young puppy anymore,' and it's true, but energy comes from your environment and from the environment that you allow in your mind.'' Henderson finds outlets for that energy in golf, spending time with his wife, two children and two grandchildren (with another on the way), and promoting his beloved Florida State University Seminoles. Since attending the school on a swimming scholarship, Henderson has remained active in alumni activities, including a recently completed stint as chairman of the Florida State Seminole Boosters. Football coach Bobby Bowden is a golf partner and someone from whom Henderson said he has learned a great deal. ``He's a winner, and you learn from winners,'' Henderson said. ``If you keep pushing for whatever your objective is, if you get 80 to 85 percent of that, you win.'' Judging from UniDial's dramatic success, Henderson has learned some secrets of winning. He gets to know the company's nearly 600 employees at monthly small-group lunches, gives managers plenty of autonomy, and tells colleagues not to be afraid to make mistakes and ``use both ends of the pencil,'' he said. He has also developed a simple personal philosophy to help him keep things in perspective. ``I wake up every day and say this to myself: God first, family second, and the rest will happen.'' ____________________