[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18089]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING ARIS MELISSARATOS

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. C.A. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 3, 2013

  Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to honor Aris 
Melissaratos, a visionary businessman, champion of the State of 
Maryland and dear friend, on the occasion of his 70th birthday.
  The son of Romanian immigrants, Mr. Melissaratos arrived in the 
United States at age 13, speaking virtually no English. He earned his 
degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 1966 
and began a 40-year business career, mostly at Westinghouse Electronics 
Corporation. There, he held numerous positions, retiring as Chief 
Technology Officer and Vice President for Science and Technology. 
Before that, he was Chief Operations Officer for the company's Defense 
Electronics Group, responsible for $3.2 billion dollars in sales. He 
also founded Armel Scientifics, LLC, which invested in more than 30 
startup companies in advanced technology.
  His professional experience proved invaluable as Secretary of 
Business and Economic Development for the State of Maryland, a position 
he held from 2003 until 2007. As Secretary, Mr. Melissaratos worked 
tirelessly to strengthen our state economy and promote Maryland as a 
prime location for tourism, film production and advancement of the 
arts.
  Mr. Melissaratos has since come full circle, returning to Johns 
Hopkins as a senior advisor to its president. There, he works to build 
the university's relationship with area businesses. Under his 
leadership, the university has helped launch 51 new companies in four 
years.
  While too numerous to list in their entirety, Mr. Melissaratos is the 
recipient of countless accolades. In 2009, he was named the William 
Donald Schaefer Industrialist of the Year and was Corridor Inc.'s 
Person of the Year in 2012. A longtime member of the Whiting School of 
Engineering's National Advisory Council, Mr. Melissaratos is a founding 
co-chair of the Greater Baltimore Technology Council and former Vice 
President of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. He somehow found time to 
also co-author a book that chronicles the history of innovation.
  I have had the pleasure of knowing Aris Melissaratos for many years. 
I admire him for his fearless entrepreneurship, generosity, work ethic 
and community spirit. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join with me today to 
honor Aris Melissaratos. The citizens of Maryland have been lucky to 
have him as a relentless advocate all these years. It is with great 
pride that I wish him the happiest of birthdays and many more years of 
success.

                          ____________________