[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 10832]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO BOB BOWLES

 Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, today I wish to commend a 
distinguished Virginian, Bob Bowles, for his extensive contributions to 
the success of the Senate Productivity and Quality Award, SPQA, Program 
and many Virginia governmental, business, and nonprofit organizations.
  In 1982, the Senate passed resolution 502 to promote the creation of 
State-sponsored programs to improve quality in industry. As part of an 
effort to fulfill resolution 502's vision, the U.S. Senate Productivity 
and Quality Award Program, or SPQA, was established to promote quality 
in Virginia organizations. SPQA is an all-volunteer organization with a 
mission to promote and recognize high-performance organizations in 
Virginia. Since its founding 30 years ago, SPQA has recognized more 
than 200 Virginia city and county organizations, businesses, and 
nonprofits for their pursuit of organizational excellence. Today, SPQA 
continues to provide training and an award challenge to thousands of 
individuals and organizations in the Commonwealth. I am proud to say it 
is the oldest continuously operating productivity and quality awards 
program in the United States.
  Bob Bowles has served as director and executive director of SPQA 
since 1994. He has devoted thousands of volunteer hours to SPQA, and 
his leadership has paved the way for SPQA to continue accomplishing its 
mission for Virginia into the future. On behalf of the Senate and the 
people of Virginia, I thank Bob for his invaluable service to SPQA and 
the Commonwealth.

                          ____________________