[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 21458]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING TEX TECH INDUSTRIES

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, 8 years ago today, we witnessed the 
horrendous attacks of September 11, 2001. Since that time, we have been 
engaged in a global fight against terrorism, and our Nation's military 
men and women have defended our country admirably and bravely. As we 
rely on them for our Nation's protection, they, in turn, rely on 
hundreds of businesses nationwide to provide them with state-of-the-art 
safety products. Today, as we mark this painful anniversary, I rise to 
recognize a small Maine company that is working every day to keep our 
military personnel safe by producing intricate textiles used to make 
body armor.
  Tex Tech Industries, headquartered in Portland with an additional 
facility in the town of Monmouth, has been manufacturing textiles since 
1902. Several years ago, Tex Tech began transitioning itself from a 
traditional textile mill into a dynamic, cutting edge leader in its 
field, and the company presently makes over 7,000 different unique 
products involving textiles, in part due to its remarkable research and 
development capabilities.
  Of note, Tex Tech is the world's largest producer of tennis felt, the 
green material used to cover tennis balls. It is Tex Tech's work with 
high-tech fabrics, however, that has been most impressive. From durable 
and well-engineered fireblocking protection for mattresses, aircraft 
hulls, and school bus seats, to small and precise components found in 
specialized machine parts like rollers for X-ray processing, Tex Tech's 
products have a functional, everyday use to them.
  I am most grateful to Tex Tech for its stellar and critical work 
developing specialized body armor used to protect our Nation's 
servicemembers. Tex Tech's ground-breaking Core Matrix Technology is 
used to produce hard and soft armor, safety products, and hard 
composites for ballistic structural reinforcement. This distinctive 
invention effectively protects our Nation's law enforcement officers 
and military personnel facing danger. In particular, it is employed to 
create the body armor that is used on outer tactical vests worn by our 
country's soldiers in Iraq.
  For its outstanding work and dedicated service, Tex Tech Industries 
has received prestigious national recognition. In particular, the Small 
Business Technology Council honored Tex Tech with its 2006 Tibbetts 
Award as a result of the company's work with the Small Business 
Innovation Research, SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, 
STTR, programs, which provide critical seed funding for small 
businesses developing our Nation's next generation of innovations. The 
award specifically highlighted the company's contributions to the Maine 
economy and research and development field in the State. The SBIR-STTR 
programs are critical to the growth of thousands of companies 
nationwide, and I am proud of Tex Tech's success story.
  Tex Tech has left an indelible mark on dozens of products we use 
every day; but on a larger scale, it has also contributed to improving 
safety for millions of Americans facing danger day in and day out. As 
our service men and women fight tirelessly to keep our country safe--
and prevent another 
9/11--I thank Tex Tech Industries for doing its part to keep them safe. 
Their commitment to our State and Nation are extremely laudable, and I 
wish them continued success in their multiple endeavors.

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