[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8778-8779]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO RICK COCHRAN

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, my fellow Members of the U.S. Senate have 
heard me say this before, but today I have reason to say it again: 
Vermonters are some of the most innovative and hardworking people in 
this country. The U.S. Small Business Administration recently 
highlighted one of these great individuals when it named Rick Cochran 
of the Mobile Medical International Corporation in St. Johnsbury, 
Vermont, as the 2011 National Small Business Person of the Year.
  Mr. Cochran deserves this recognition for his many years of hard work 
building a successful small business that provides mobile, combat-ready 
shelter systems both in the U.S. and abroad. In collaboration with the 
U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 
the U.S. Air Force, and others, Mr. Cochran and his team provide 
quality medical services to the many dedicated men and woman worldwide 
who put their lives at risk in the military. Mr. Cochran has also 
deployed mobile surgical units across the globe to developing 
countries, giving third world countries cost-effective mobile access to 
modern medical facilities.
  From an otherwise nondescript industrial building in St. Johnsbury, 
Mobile Medical has touched the lives of thousands of people from across 
the globe. Whether the company is shipping units to the Middle East, 
deploying units with National Guard soldiers, or quickly delivering aid 
to communities devastated by natural disasters here at home, the men 
and women who have engineered and manufactured these mobile medical 
facilities have found a novel and cost-effective way to deliver state-
of-the-art medical care in some of the world's most challenging 
environments. Just last week, I learned that Mobile Medical had already 
deployed mobile healthcare facilities to assist in the recovery efforts 
in Joplin, MO, following the catastrophic weather that left hundreds 
dead and thousands more injured.
  Mr. Cochran and his staff have improved the lives of others both 
abroad and locally, as their business has created hundreds of job 
opportunities for Vermonters in our rural Northeast Kingdom. As a 
longtime supporter of Mobile Medical, I was pleased to see this locally 
owned business recognized for the great work it has done in Vermont and 
across the globe.
  I continue to be proud of the many small businesses thriving across 
Vermont. And today I am especially

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proud of the work of one small business that has succeeded both 
financially and socially Mobile Medical International Corporation of 
St. Johnsbury, VT. I wish Rick and his business continued success in 
the future. I also ask that the May 20, 2011, U.S. Small Business 
Administration announcement of this award be printed in the Record.
  The information follows:

  Vermont Manufacturer of Mobile Health Care Units Is National Small 
                      Business Person of the Year

                         [Friday, May 20, 2011]

       Washington.--When Rick Cochran was working with five 
     employees in his basement in Walden, Vt., his dream was to 
     find a way to provide advanced medical care to underserved 
     areas, and build a company that could deliver it.
       Today, the Vermont manufacturer of state-of-the-art mobile 
     healthcare and diagnostic units was named 2011 National Small 
     Business Person of the year by Karen Mills, Administrator of 
     the U.S. Small Business Administration. Mills made the 
     announcement during ceremonies at SBA's celebration of 
     National Small Business Week in Washington, D.C.
       First runner-up is Deborah Carey, president and founder of 
     the New Glarus Brewing Company, in New Glarus in southwestern 
     Wisconsin. Second runner-up is Leigh Kamstra, owner and chef 
     of Roma's Ristorante in Spearfish, S.D., north of the Black 
     Hills.
       ``The innovation, inspiration and determination shown by 
     Rick Cochran and his employees have elevated his company, 
     Mobile Medical International, to a level that is above and 
     beyond the norm,'' said Mills. ``These are the qualities that 
     make small businesses such a powerful force for job creation 
     in the American economy and in their local communities. Rick 
     had a dream and he persisted--creating jobs, winning the 
     loyalty of his team, and filling a need in the marketplace 
     that has taken Mobile Medical from his basement to a 
     worldwide stage. We are especially proud that when Rick 
     Cochran's company needed financing, he turned to the U.S. 
     Small Business Administration, and the SBA was able to help 
     him.
       ``I applaud Rick and his team, and I applaud the runners-up 
     and their staffs, and all of the state small business persons 
     of the year who are here today,'' Mills said. ``We are all 
     grateful for their contributions to our economy. They are 
     magnificent examples of the character of America's most 
     successful entrepreneurs.''
       The National Small Business Person of the Year and runners-
     up were selected from among the state winners in 50 states, 
     the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, 
     and Guam. All are being honored this week in Washington, 
     D.C., as part of National Small Business Week. The awards 
     were announced at today's National Awards Luncheon, sponsored 
     by Sam's Club at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
       For Cochran the road began when he left a job at an 
     advanced medical equipment provider to establish his first 
     venture, Outpatient Services of America, a consulting firm 
     specializing in planning and developing ambulatory surgery 
     centers. His plan evolved in 1994, when he researched and 
     created an initial design for a mobile surgery unit and 
     established Mobile Medical International, working from his 
     basement with a staff of five. By 1995, he had the capital, 
     and by 1996, he had his prototype.
       At first, he provided temporary solutions for hospitals 
     undergoing renovations, but he was able to expand the 
     business into broader commercial, military, and emergency 
     response applications worldwide. During one rough patch in 
     1999, much of his core team--inspired by Cochran's 
     perseverance, optimism and faith--worked without pay when 
     financing ran dry and the company nearly closed its doors. 
     They were reimbursed later, when the company rebounded. The 
     company also secured financing support from three SBA-backed 
     loans in 1997, 2005 and 2008.
       MMI's products include mobile surgical hospitals built into 
     a semi-sized tractor-trailer and an inflatable hospital ward 
     that fits into a trailer pulled by a Humvee. To date, MMIC 
     has 22 mobile healthcare units in its product line, including 
     Mobile Breast Care Centers, Mobile Intensive Care, Mobile 
     Laboratory/Pharmacy, Mobile CT Scan/Dental/Ophthalmology, 
     Mobile Ophthalmology and Mobile Endoscopy Units.
       Today, MMI's staff has grown to 54, and net income--just 
     $9,835 in 2008--rose in 2010 to $1.68 million on gross 
     revenues of more than $14 million.
       First runner-up Carey developed her business plan for the 
     New Glarus Brewing Company while her husband Dan, a master 
     brewer, gathered the materials, grains and equipment needed 
     for start-up. In 1993 they negotiated to lease a warehouse in 
     New Glarus, exchanging the lease for stock in the company. 
     They sold their home and raised $40,000 in seed money, yet 
     still needed more cash to fund the startup. Carey pitched her 
     story to local newspapers, and the media attention brought in 
     $200,000 from investors.
       In the early days, the couple worked hard to establish the 
     brewery's reputation for consistent quality beers. Carey 
     based her plan on developing a very loyal customer base. She 
     set up beer tasting classes along with offering brewery 
     tours, and the brewery started to take off, attracting notice 
     from distributors. New Glarus Brewing Company has grown to 50 
     full-time employees, has registered growth in profits of 123 
     percent from 2007 to 2009, and is Wisconsin's number one 
     micro-brewery relative to sales volume.
       Kamstra, the second runner-up, had been eyeing an old, 
     dilapidated stone building that had stood empty while she was 
     a college student attending Black Hills State University. She 
     didn't know exactly at the time how or why, but she knew 
     somehow her future would be in that building.
       After earning a degree in business and 10 years in banking, 
     Kamstra changed course and earned a degree in culinary arts 
     at the Colorado Institute of art. In 1999, with the help of 
     an SBA-guaranteed loan, Kamstra leased the old dilapidated 
     building, refurbished it and opened Roma's Ristorante. When 
     the old building proved too small, Kamstra adapted, securing 
     another SBA-backed loan in 2010 to finance construction of a 
     new building, with more space. Since then, sales have nearly 
     doubled and staff has increased from 11 to 35.

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