[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17361-17362]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     CONGRATULATING RALPH F. KORTE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 9, 2009

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ralph F. 
Korte for his 2008 induction in the Southern Illinois University of 
Edwardsville Alumni Association Hall of Fame.
  Ralph Korte is the founder and chairman emeritus of the board of 
Korte Company. The company was established by Mr. Korte in 1958 after 
he returned from Korea, serving in the U.S. Army. He was asked to build 
a milking parlor by his neighbor and a few weeks later he created an 
innovative, state-of-the-art business structure that is still used 
today.
  In 1959 Korte decided to go to college and utilized the financial aid 
of the G.I. Bill. He took two night classes a week for 5 years until 
his G.I. benefits ran out. Korte realized his business courses were 
helping him manage his company, so he stayed in college. After 4 more 
years of schooling, he graduated from SIUE School of Business. Korte 
attributes his success in business to the quality of education he 
received at SIUE.
  By 2005 the Korte Company was operating in 37 states and by 2008 it 
celebrated its 50th anniversary. The company is a nationally recognized 
industry leader with more than 1,800 jobs completed across the country. 
``I'm proud to say that more than 80 percent of our business comes from 
returning customers,'' Korte said. ``We work smart, and we know how to 
get things done.''
  In addition to his work with the Korte Company, Ralph Korte has been 
involved with the

[[Page 17362]]

creation and implementation of several initiatives on the SIUE campus. 
These initiatives include: the addition of the Construction Program in 
the fall of 1979; the construction of the Ralph Korte Stadium in 1993; 
the donation of the Ralph and Donna Korte Classroom, the creation of 
the Ralph and Donna Korte Fund for Leadership and Innovation in 
Business Education in 1999; and the launch of the SIUE Construction 
Leadership Institute in 2004.
  I would like to congratulate Mr. Korte for his achievements in 
business and receiving this honor from Southern Illinois University of 
Edwardsville.

                          ____________________