[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 348-349]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING BEN STONE OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 4, 2007

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I, along with my colleague 
Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, rise today to honor Ben Stone, who recently 
completed 20 years of service as head of the Sonoma County Economic 
Development Board. Under Ben's quiet but dynamic leadership, the 
Economic Development Board (EDB) has successfully implemented programs 
that have more than met the mandate of the County Board of Supervisors 
to enhance economic development by concentrating on new and innovative 
programs that enable businesses to remain competitive in a changing 
economy.
  Ben came to Sonoma County from the Seattle area where he had been a 
county administrator in Port Angeles, Washington, a consultant with 
Arthur Andersen & Co. and a Special Projects Director with Scafco 
Corporation. He graduated from Whitman College in Walla

[[Page 349]]

Walla and received his Masters of Public Administration from the 
University of Washington in Seattle.
  Ben tells the story that, after coming to Sonoma County, he was 
informed that a decision had been made to close the EDB. However, he 
commenced creating programs atypical of economic development, which 
bolstered the local economy, and, 20 years later, the EDB is thriving 
under his leadership.
  With the help of a small staff and interns, Ben has developed a 
number of award-winning programs in concert with local private and 
public sectors. Many of these programs have been successfully 
transitioned to community-based organizations.
  Among them are the Sonoma County Tourism Program, which served to 
increase tourism 31 percent; two technology groups (SofTech, a trade 
group, and the North Bay Technology Roundtable, a policy group); Youth 
Business Week; the Business Environmental Alliance; the North Bay World 
Trade Association; the Small Business Center now operated by Santa Rosa 
Junior College; a home-based business project; and a business crime 
prevention program. Ben's office still operates the Sonoma County Film 
Commission.
  Ben also initiated a broad-based strategic planning process resulting 
in the formation of bachelors and master's degree programs in 
Engineering Science at Sonoma State University, a new cooperative 
agricultural marketing program, and an economic research program. An 
EDB forum, the Business Regulatory Roundtable, involving elected 
officials, regulatory agencies, and business executives to improve 
local regulatory processes, resulted in Northern California's first 
multi-agency Permit Assistance Center.
  By creating the Economic Development Board Foundation, the EDB is 
able to support research projects, bring expert speakers to discuss 
aspects of the economy at local presentations twice annually, present 
an annual State of the County program, and recognize local business men 
and women at the annual Spirit of Sonoma County Awards program.
  Ben developed one of the most visited websites in the County. The EDB 
pages contain all the research reports, information on upcoming events, 
the latest initiatives sponsored by his office, and the first live web 
cast of the State of the County event In addition, Ben helped establish 
the California-Swiss Foundation, the World Affairs Council, and has 
been on the boards of the Sonoma County Museum, the Sonoma County YMCA, 
and presently is a member of the President's Council at Santa Rosa 
Junior College.
  Some form of the Economic Development Board has, been a part of 
Sonoma County since the late 1950s. If you wanted assistance from Ben 
in the early days of his 20-year tenure, your first task would be to 
find his office, which moved four times in the first 10 years before 
finding a home on College Avenue in Santa Rosa. His long-time friends 
particularly recall his small office on Cleveland Avenue piled with 
filing boxes that a visitor clambered over to reach his desk.
  A wall of certificates and plaques now greets visitors to his office, 
including a Grand Prize for Excellence from the California Association 
of Economic Development; four Achievement Awards from the National 
Association of Counties; and six Innovation Awards, from the National 
Association of Development Organizations.
  Madam Speaker, we want to honor Ben Stone today for his 20 years of 
service to Sonoma County and the Economic Development Board. He has 
made many friends in the many communities he serves and is always 
willing to give a boost to new arrivals or make that important contact 
for someone who needs assistance. As Ben always says to others, we wish 
him many more ``Onward and Upward'' years at the Sonoma County Economic 
Development Board.

                          ____________________