[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15477]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     KEVIN O'DONNELL, CAN DO, INC.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LOU BARLETTA

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 8, 2013

  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Kevin O'Donnell for 40 
years of service with CAN DO, Inc. in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.
  Mr. O'Donnell joined CAN DO in 1973 as assistant director. CAN DO, 
Inc. is a private, non-profit industrial/economic development 
corporation serving Greater Hazleton in Northeastern, Pennsylvania. Mr. 
O'Donnell quickly rose through the ranks of this organization, becoming 
a project manager for the area's first synthetic fuels plant in 1974 
and in 1984, becoming director of the organization. In 1995, that title 
changed to president, the position he has held since that day. Under 
Mr. O'Donnell's leadership, CAN DO received the Arthur D. Little 
Environmental Excellence in Economic Development Award in 1993, the 
U.S. Green Building Council's Energy and Environmental Design Award in 
2006, and the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association's ``Large 
Agency of the Year'' title in 2007.
  A native of Greater Hazleton, Mr. O'Donnell's success extends beyond 
his work with CAN DO. In 1984, he was selected by the Pennsylvania 
Economic Development Association (PEDA) as the first-ever ``Developer 
of the Year.'' In 2006, he was awarded the Ben Franklin Innovation 
Award ``Special Achievement'' for his contribution to the creation of 
the Great Valley Technology Alliance (GVTA). In 2009, Mr. O'Donnell was 
inducted into Northeast Pennsylvania's Business Hall of Fame for his 
numerous achievements and contributions to Greater Hazleton and 
Northeast Pennsylvania. Locally, he has received numerous awards for 
his work as a former officer and member of several educational 
institutions and community and civic groups.
  Mr. Speaker, for 40 years Kevin O'Donnell has served as an integral 
member of CAN DO, Inc., bringing thousands of jobs and hundreds of 
millions of dollars to the Greater Hazleton economy. Therefore, I 
commend him for his service to the economic development of 
Pennsylvania's 11th District.

                          ____________________