[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18401]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO MR. FRANK L. CIMINELLI

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. THOMAS M. REYNOLDS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 15, 2006

  Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, with great pride and delight I rise today 
to honor a leader and entrepreneur who has spent his lifetime raising 
up not only buildings and properties, but his Western New York 
community as well.
  Mr. Frank L. Ciminelli has literally left his mark on Western New 
York through his leadership, savvy, integrity and hard work as founder 
and head of Ciminelli Development Company, making him one of the most 
respected figures in the area. Headquartered in the Buffalo-Niagara 
region since its inception, the company has created, developed, 
renovated and renewed more than 9 million square feet of the region's 
commercial and industrial space, dotting the region's map with 
distinctive properties and more than 350 business tenants. Mr. 
Ciminelli's life and work has been fully committed to Western New 
York--to building and transforming the region, supporting its 
businesses and giving back to the community.
  Mr. Ciminelli built his business and his dream from the ground up. 
After graduating from the Erie County Technical Institute in 1954, he 
started his residential construction specializing in concrete work 
before branching out to commercial and industrial projects. The Frank 
L. Ciminelli Construction Company was founded in 1960, and over the 
next decades Mr. Ciminelli would expand his operation into a diverse 
and highly successful general construction, development and management 
entity. Transitioning into full service real estate development, Mr. 
Ciminelli founded the Ciminelli Development Company in 1981. From site 
selection through tenant occupancy, the company now controls all 
aspects of its development projects, earning accolades for its quality 
and reliability and earning Mr. Ciminelli numerous awards, including 
the 1996 Niagara Frontier Executive of the Year, the 1995 Upstate New 
York Entrepreneur of the Year and the 1993 Buffalonian of the Year and 
most recently the 2006 Brick by Brick Lifetime Achievement Award.
  His mark on Western New York goes far beyond his buildings, however. 
Mr. Ciminelli has made it a priority and personal charge to give back 
to the Western New York community. Involved in countless 
organizations--including Sisters of Charity Hospital, Sisters of Mercy, 
University at Buffalo Foundation, American Cancer Society, Catholic 
Charities and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America, just to 
name a few--Mr. Ciminelli has been a community leader as much as a 
business leader, a tremendous corporate citizen. With as much zeal and 
willpower with which he has led his business, he has given back for the 
good of his beloved Western New York community.
  Through it all, Mr. Ciminelli has been a devoted family man, husband 
to wife Rosalie, father to six children and grandfather to eleven. 
Although guiding a first rate business to the very top, Mr. Ciminelli 
has always insisted that family means most to him and has led his life 
accordingly. The youngest of 12 children himself, he has always known 
that family comes first, and always will.
  Thus, Mr. Speaker, in recognition of the indelible mark Mr. Ciminelli 
has left on Western New York, his remarkable business accomplishments, 
his charitable gifts and his spirit to make his community a better 
place, I ask that this Honorable Body join me in honoring Mr. Frank L. 
Ciminelli.

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