[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17426]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   IN HONOR OF THE RETIREMENT OF HEINZ K. SIMON FROM THE LAS COLINAS 
                     ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KENNY MARCHANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 2010

  Mr. MARCHANT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Heinz K. Simon, 
the retiring Vice Chairman and former President and Chairman of the Las 
Colinas Association Board of Directors. Heinz is a valued member of the 
Irving, Texas community and has dedicated decades of service, economic 
planning, and community improvements to the association and its 
surrounding communities. Since 1973, Heinz and his wife, Allison, have 
resided in Las Colinas, and in 1996 Heinz moved the corporate office of 
Industrial Properties Corporation to Las Colinas. As the former CEO and 
Chairman of Industrial, Heinz understood the dynamic business 
environment Las Colinas possesses. Heinz also raised his two children 
in this community.
  Since moving to Las Colinas, Heinz's contributions to the community 
have been tremendous. In addition to being on the Association Board for 
over 10 years, he has served as the Chairman for Irving's Tax Increment 
Finance District. This position allowed him to push for a development 
project within the Tax Increment Finance District boundaries in Las 
Colinas. Furthermore, Heinz was the primary force behind The Las 
Colinas Park Foundation, a 501-(c)(3) organization that works to 
beautify parks and open spaces across Irving. In addition to other 
projects, the Foundation has replanted numerous trees and put both a 
statue and a sculpture in two parks within the community.
  It was at Heinz's urging that the Urban Center Task Force Committee 
was organized in April 2006 to encourage the city of Irving to look at 
the needs of Las Colinas. As Chairman since its inception, Heinz has 
gotten involvement on the Committee from the mayor of Irving; two city 
managers and their staffs; and numerous city organizations. The group 
has encouraged the burying of overhead utilities, the construction of 
the Lake Carolyn promenade, and kept the interests of Las Colinas at 
the forefront of discussions among city leaders.
  Though he retires from the Las Colinas Association Board of Directors 
with many accomplishments, Heinz is not done improving his community. 
He currently serves as the director/trustee of the Stemmons Foundation, 
a charitable trust established in 1963 to benefit Dallas-area cultural, 
educational, and scientific communities. It is for this continuous 
dedication to the Las Colinas area and its surrounding communities that 
I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Heinz K. Simon's retirement 
from the Las Colinas Board of Directors.

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