[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6865]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 COMMENDING WAUKESHA HOME DESIGN CENTER

 Ms SNOWE. Mr. President, this week is National Small Business 
Week, a time to celebrate the critical role small businesses play in 
powering our economy. Indeed, as ranking member of the U.S. Senate 
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I am constantly 
reminded of how crucial small businesses are to maintaining our 
economic vitality. Nationally, small firms represent 99.7 percent of 
all businesses and have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs over 
the past decade. On occasion, one of these small businesses goes above 
and beyond the call of social responsibility with an act of true 
thoughtfulness and generosity. Michael Costigan and the employees of 
the Waukesha Home Design Center in southeastern Wisconsin recently 
answered this call to action and made a difference in their community.
  The story begins several weeks ago, when a selfish individual posing 
as a worker stole a television from the Zablocki Veterans Affairs 
Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI. This was a cowardly and despicable 
act, and I hope that the perpetrator is brought to justice. After the 
theft, elderly and sick veterans at the center were preparing to adjust 
to watching their favorite movies, TV shows, and Milwaukee Brewers 
games on an older and smaller television, until a local businessman 
heard what had happened on the radio.
  Michael Costigan, the general manager of the Waukesha Home Design 
Center and a veteran himself, was incensed by this incident, and 
decided to take action. He and the company's 25 employees, many of whom 
are also veterans, immediately made arrangements to donate a 52-inch 
flat-panel high-definition television to the Veterans Center. Just this 
morning, Mr. Costigan and other employees personally delivered the 
television to a group of ecstatic veterans, who will no longer suffer 
because of the inconsideration of another. I am pleased to hear that 
the residents have already set up their Nintendo Wii to play bowling.
  I am highlighting this compelling story on the Senate floor today 
because of the example it sets for each and every one of us. The 
company has only been in business since November of last year, but they 
have already made a lasting impression on their local area. While we in 
Congress must do all that we can to support our nation's heroic and 
patriotic veterans, it is good to see that there are individuals and 
businesses caring for those who have given so much to defend our 
country's freedoms. My heartfelt gratitude and appreciation goes out to 
Michael Costigan and the Waukesha Home Design Center's employees for 
their work of selflessness and charity, and I wish them a bright future 
in all of their endeavors.

                          ____________________